Universal Link
by Ashura Fan
Summary: A mysterious anomaly connects universes together, changing one unique teen's life in a way he hadn't imagined. Mostly an original/Sonic the Hedgehog/Megaman X crossover, but may expand if I ever continue it. M for language, gore, and mild themes.
1. Episode 1 Prologue

I would post a whole spiel about the story as a whole, but I'll leave that in my profile.

Brief credits:  
- Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, and related Sonic the Hedgehog elements are property of Sega and Sonic Team.  
- Zero, Douglas, and related Megaman X elements are property of Capcom.  
- All original characters and elements are my property and may not be used.  
- Ashura the Hedgehog is technically not my character, but I do claim this version of him. Granted, I'm not sure what the rules are for characters based on glitches are...  
- Anything else I missed... well, you know...  
- I'd like to thank my cousin Jake and my friend Luke support on the story.

* * *

**Universal Link  
Prologue**

Location: Southern Shoreline of Lake Superior  
Time: 3:17 am CST (Central Standard Time)  
Date: May 25

It had seemed like it was going to be a peaceful night. The moon's light was shining down on the land below as a mild breeze blew across the lake. The sky was completely clear, with the stars twinkling peacefully in the seemingly endless heavens.

However, amongst the sea of stars, there was an abnormality. It tried to hide itself within the field of stars, but it still stuck out like a welt. Its shape, though practically unnoticeable to the naked eye, was fluid and chaotic, slowly shifting as time passed. It glowed with a reddish hue, one that was nearly crimson in nature. It was like a drop of blood in the heavens.

However, it wasn't the thing that would destroy the tranquility of the night.

A ball of fire fell from the sky, filling the air with a low-pitched cry that sounded like a demon's joyful screaming. It closed in on the high rocky cliffs, traveling directly towards a lone house that sat on top...

At the last second, it unnaturally leveled out, just missing the house. It began losing most of its speed as it headed for an island far offshore, while at the same time losing most of its fire to reveal a dark metallic object. It hit the water's surface only a mile away from the island, making a loud sizzling sound as it began to sink. It soon came to a stop, the weight of the water pulling it into the abyss below.

A figure shaped like a man emerged from the sinking object, hidden by the darkness of night. With an inhuman bound, it leapt to a small grouping of rocks sticking out of the water almost a football field away, landing awkwardly. It adjusted, then leapt again, repeating its process until it was standing on the rocky shore of the island, where it turned and watched as the object was swallowed up by the water.

There was a brief flash of light behind the shadowy figure. It turned around to see another figure, one dressed in a hooded cloak, standing behind it. It soon started shouting words in what was probably an alien language as it pointed at the cloaked figure.

"Relax," an electronic voice spoke from the cloak, "your ship is in working order. We didn't do any irreparable damage."

The humanoid figure recognized the language, replying, "Why did you attack me?!"

"We needed you to land on this planet," the electronic voice said. "There's something on this planet you need to retrieve."

The humanoid figure laughed. "Are you joking? There's actually something of value on this forsaken rock?! Why couldn't you get it yourself?"

"We only can play a limited role." The cloaked figure turned around, slowly beginning to walk away. "If our calculations are right, you should find what we request before the end of this day."

"And if I don't?"

"Then you'll remain here until you do." It turned back to look at the humanoid figure. "You'll know what it is when you feel its presence." It continued walking away.

The humanoid figure raised its arm, holding out a glowing white ball of energy, only to blink and have its hand blasted. It held it hand, moaning in pain from the burn.

"There's no time for games," the cloaked figure said, not even turning around. "You'd better rest up. These humans aren't as primitive as they seem."

The humanoid figure sighed and clenched its fist. It turned around in defeat, then leapt to a rock sticking out of the water, making its way towards the house on the cliff.

The cloaked figure stood on the island, looking out on the moonlit horizon. Minutes later, a girl's voice sounded from the communication device on its arm. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked, sounding rather worried. "This Chellosua doesn't seem to be someone that can be trusted."

The figure reached into the hood, removing a mask-shaped device. It then lifted its arm to up to speak toward the wrist device, and in a deep raspy voice, answered, "I know it's risky, but if we can get them to become allies, we may be able to save our worlds." It looked back out on the horizon, saying to itself, "This is perhaps our only chance we have..."

* * *

Time: 7:50 am CST

_Another annoying day, _he thought.

Nathan Mathios walked into the hallways of Somerset Middle School, his gaze blank. Many of the school's students walked by him, most of them paying no attention to him, others nodding or saying a simple greeting, at which he acknowledged with a nod. It was chaotic and noisy enough as is, but it was worse for Nathan.

Nathan was what seemed to be an average fourteen year old. Everything about him seemed plain, from his neatly cut brown hair to his choice of clothing, a simple navy blue sweatshirt and blue jeans. However, this simple exterior hid something else.

Inside Nathan's head echoed the emotions of everyone around him. Happiness. Sadness. Anger. Hate. Almost any other emotion that could be imagined rang inside his head. This "gift" of being able to feel other's emotions was more like a curse, forcing him to carry a weight greater than he wanted to. He had gotten used to most of it, managing to tone a good portion out. There were a few emotions he couldn't ignore, those including hate and pain.

He walked to his locker, slowly opening it. It wasn't exactly well organized, but just about nothing in his chaotic life was. He took the book bag he had strapped to his back off, setting it on the floor. As he opened it up to retrieve some things he needed for his classes, he heard the locker next to him open up. The person at this locker had a warm and cheerful radiance to their personality, and Nathan knew exactly who it was.

Nathan gathered the rest of his things he needed, quickly throwing the rest into his locker. As he closed the door, he saw the cheerful face he came to expect.

"Hi, Nathan!" said Heather Boturick, a cheerful brown-haired girl, as well as a classmate of his. She was a little shorter than he was, wearing a rather neat looking pink shirt and medium-length jean skirt.

"Uh… Hi," Nathan muttered, blushing. If there was one flaw about his personality, it was that he was incredibly shy around girls, especially one that he thought were cute or attractive, or the one's he knew had a crush on him. Thanks to his reputation, a lot of them simply ignored him, thinking he was loser. Heather, however, was one of the few who seemed to like him, perhaps having the biggest crush on him than anyone he had met. The feeling was mutual, but he never had the nerve to say anything to that extent.

"So," she continued, her face still beaming, "how's your day been going so far?"

"Fine," he replied nervously. "How's yours?"

"It's been pretty good so far," she replied. "It looks like it's going to be nice today, not as cold as it has been the last few days." Nathan started to walk off to class, Heather walking beside him. "Hey, did you hear about that meteor crash last night?"

"Huh?" Nathan said, surprised she'd mention such a thing. "What meteor crash?"

"You really haven't heard?" she said, surprised. "I thought you were into all that sci-fi spacey stuff?"

"Well, yeah," Nathan said. "I guess I just rushed out this morning and missed the news."

"Really? What were you doing last night? Kicking Mike's Peach with your Daisy?" She paused, giggling at how Nathan face turned a bit red, then added sarcastically, "That sounded wrong, didn't it?"

"Yes," Nathan said sheepishly.

Heather giggled, then continued. "Anyway, it apparently fell by the old McKinney place, so close that it scorched the entire roof and took off the tops of the trees before crashing into the lake. There aren't many people that believe it was a meteor though."

"Why?"

"Because of how it supposedly crashed. I mean, it burned the ENTIRE roof and the tops of the trees before crashing into the lake, so it was going at more of a horizontal angle. Now what normal meteor does that?"

Nathan said nothing. He thought back, remembering a strange feeling he had felt the previous night. It felt like he was being watched, feeling that it was so close. Whatever it was, it had been enough to wake him up, sweaty and shaking, almost like a nightmare. He remembered looking at the clock and seeing it had been about half past three.

"What's wrong?" Heather said, snapping him out of his trance.

"Uh… Nothing," he replied sheepishly. "I was just thinking about something."

Heather gave him a concerned look, then smiled and said, "Worried that the little green men are going to take you back to Mars, are you?"

They both laughed at her statement. Soon, the hallway branched off to the left, which was the way Heather was going to class. As she walked away, she turned back to wave, saying, "I'll see you later, Nathan!"

Nathan waved to her, nervously saying, "Yeah… I guess…"

He continued his way to class, in a slightly more upbeat mood. He thought a little what he sensed the night before and its possible connection to the meteor. It troubled him a little, but he had some dreams that things like that happened. Still, he couldn't shake that something else was up.

_Maybe what Heather said is true,_ he surmised jokingly. _Maybe the Martian's are indeed after me…_ He smiled to himself as he turned the corner.

At that very instant, however, any enthusiasm he had about the day came to a crashing halt as he came to a complete stop with one of the biggest roadblocks ever to walk the hallways of the middle school in his path. This roadblock was known as Chad Aswies, another one his classmates, and perhaps the biggest jerk he had ever known. He stood a good foot taller than Nathan, and was built like a rock. He had a big grudge against Nathan, and the feeling of hatred emanated from him.

"Hey, Mathios," Chad said, a smirk crossing his face.

Nathan just looked up, then started to walk around him. Seeing this, Chad tried to grab him. Sensing this impulse, Nathan jumped backwards, just avoiding his reach.

"I said 'Hey,' dickface!" Chad shouted at him. "Is it that hard for you to show some respect?!"

"I don't need to show respect for you, or anyone else who think they push people around because they feel they can," Nathan said. "Ass wipe."

"Ha," Chad responded, cracking his knuckles, "you're still a little punk, even after that wailing I gave you a month ago."

Nathan sighed, annoyed. "Don't forget you didn't fair to well in that fight either."

"Yeah, whatever. I don't know why I shouldn't beat you to a pulp right now."

"You could try," Nathan replied calmly, "but that'd make you late for class."

The first bell range, signifying that there where only five minutes until class started. Chad looked at Nathan puzzled. "Whatever," he snickered. "I'll deal with you some other time." He then took off past him.

Nathan continued walking, noting the clock that was placed in the upper part of the hallway. _Yes, _he thought, _it's going to be a rather annoying day indeed._

* * *

Location: Southern Shore of South Island  
Time: 9:37 am HST (Hawaiian Standard Time)  
Date: May 25

A once quiet and inactive military base suddenly echoed with loud sirens. Along one of the high bridges connecting two of the buildings rushed a blue creature, its incredible speed blurring any details. Sentry drones floated up from underneath, trying to hit it with lasers. It was too fast for them, every laser missing its mark. It continued to travel until it reached the other building, where a security door managed to beat it out. Reluctantly, it finally came to a stop...

Sonic the Hedgehog looked impatiently at the door that stopped him. It was made of high-grade steel, one that would be impossible to break down with his trademarked and copy-written spin-dash attack. "Man, it's been awhile since I've had to stop for a road block." He looked around, noticing a steel bar outside a window going down to the lower levels. "Well, I guess I've got time to grind."

He leapt at the window, curling up into a ball as he broke through. He placed his feet on the rail, keeping his balance as he slid down while taking in his surroundings. He spotted an odd, poorly built rocket tower, one that hadn't been there he past few trips to South Island. Directly above the tower sparkled a ruby star, one that shined in the late morning sky much brighter than the moon at this time of day. Sonic knew exactly what it was: a mysterious rift that had appeared months earlier. This coincidence made Sonic's quills shiver.

A laser blast passed just in front of Sonic, snapping his focus back to reality. He glanced over, noticing two drones on his tail. "Sorry guys, but as much as I have respect for G.U.N., I can't let them get away with this!" He pushed up off the rail, leaping in the air as the drones passed underneath. Once above, he curled into a ball, launching at one, then the other, smashing both to scrap metal.

However, he soon realized that he had made a terrible error, as he the second left him too far away from the rail. There was nothing to grab onto, and the area below was mostly water. He could try to propel himself towards the building, which would get him closer to the narrow platforms below, but it was risky considering there was a chance he would overshoot them and land in the water.

"Well," he said, "either way I'm in the drink..." He curled up, giving himself a boost towards the platform. It wouldn't be long until the water would be below him...

He landed off-balance on the very edge of the platform. Slowly, he managed to regain his balance, inching back on to the platform. He then looked at the water just feet below, commenting to himself, "Well, a few more inches and I would have been Sonic the drench hog..."

Then there was a loud crash behind him, one that made him turn quickly around. On the far side of the platform where a building connected to the platform laid an unconscious man dressed in a G.U.N. uniform. Behind him was a large hole in the wall, as well as the silhouette that looked striking similar to Sonic. In his one hand, he held another unconscious man by the collar. In the other hand was a long metal staff, which he held over his shoulder.

"You really need to learn how to slow down, Sonic," came a voice similar to Sonic's, except in a slightly deeper tone. He dropped the man, then walked out from the shadows. His spines, while in the same amount as Sonic's, were shorter and differently colored, a green with a black stripe going down the top of each. The top stripe widened when it reached the top of his head, covering most of his forehead up to short of his eyebrows. Other than that, the resemblance was nearly identical.

"Sorry, Ashura," Sonic shrugged nervously. "It's a bit of a bad habit."

The green hedgehog nodded, a friendly smile crossing his face. "You never were one who had any patience."

Sonic noticed one of the men groan in the background, at which he breathed a sigh of relief.

"What?" Ashura said, a little surprised by Sonic's reaction.

"Nothing," Sonic replied. "Just wasn't sure if they were alive or not."

Ashura scowled. "What's THAT supposed to mean?"

"Never mind." Sonic turned around starting to jog towards the other side of the platform. "C'mon, we don't have too much time left."

They continued running down the lower path until they came across the entrance to one of the buildings. Ashura held Sonic back and peeked inside, noting that the hallways were surprisingly empty. He then motioned for Sonic, and they continued their run until they came to an elevator.

"Something's odd," Ashura stated, looking around as Sonic impatiently eyed the elevator. "It's too quiet..."

"Who cares?" Sonic said, pressing the button for their trip up.

Ashura looked over as the door opened. "We don't know if it's a trap..."

Sonic had already entered, and was holding the door open, waiting for the green hedgehog. "You comin'?"

Ashura sighed in frustration, then walked into the elevator. He looked at the numbers for the floors, and pressed the very top one, number 50, much to Sonic's dismay.

The door closed and they make their trek up.

Ashura reclined against the back wall of the elevator, his arms crossed, his staff leaning against the wall. While his eyes were closed, he could tell Sonic was growing impatient with the long climb to the top, even though it had been only a minute.

Sonic stood staring up at the numbered lights on top, arms crossed and tapping the tip of his shoe. He suddenly stopped tapping his toes. "About back there..."

Ashura opened his eyes and looked up. "What about back there?"

"Well," Sonic, looking down at the floor, continued reluctantly, "I was worried that you had killed those two soldiers."

Ashura was a little surprised, though he quickly understood what he meant. "Sorry," he replied seriously. "I guess I got a little carried away." He looked outside through a glass window, watching the horizon as the ascended. "Its really not in my nature to kill."

"Yeah," Sonic said, "But I don't know that. You may be my brother—or, in some sense, were my brother in another life, but I feel like I don't know you."

"That's because you never visit the damn island," Ashura replied, trying to sound more sarcastic than annoyed. "You know I have responsibilities to Westside that keep me from traveling more than a few hours away. Hell, the only reason I left is because that damn echidna shattered his emerald to keep it from falling into the wrong hands, so the people who wanted it sent some Chaos-charged psycho who wailed on me to my island and stole my emerald. They don't have a clue what could happen if it's not returned soon." Ashura paused, then said, "As much as I hate that echidna, I hope he leaves his Emerald in place of mine; Westside will be nothing more than volcanic ash in less than a day if he doesn't"

"Don't worry," Sonic said, "Knuckles may be a jerk at times, but he knows when the stakes are high. But don't be surprised if he's going to ask for something in exchange."

"Great…" Ashura mumbled.

The elevator finally stopped, and the door slid open. "C'mon," Sonic said, "let's hurry!" Ashura watched Sonic rush out, seeming to not thinking about what lay beyond.

Ashura had just walked out the door when he saw someone attack Sonic as he ran past the intersections of hallways, knocking him out of Ashura's sight. "Sonic!" he shouted, rushing forward.

As he did, he saw Sonic stand up, facing his attacker who was someone that Sonic seemed to recognize. "So, Shadow," he said, preparing to face off against a certain black and red hedgehog, "what are you doing here in a place like this?"

"I believe that should be my question," Shadow replied, preparing for Sonic's counter attack.

"I believe he asked first," Ashura said, slowing down as he caught up to Sonic.

Shadow studied the other hedgehog, then straighten up in a non-aggressive stance. "You bear a bit of a resemblance to him," he said to Ashura. "You two wouldn't happen to be somehow related?"

Ashura took a defensive stance. "Depends on who's asking."

"I see. Well, you're definitely more serious than the faker." Shadow crossed his arms, stating, "I'm here because I heard there might be something about my past hidden on this base. It was supposed to have been closed down decades ago, but yet many of the supplies were never removed from here. From what I've heard, there's supposed to be some sort of black operation going on here, but like all government secrets, there's no actual information." He stared directly at Sonic, "Now what's YOUR story?"

"That's none of your business," Ashura replied quickly, not giving Sonic any time to respond.

"I see... I should be on my way then," he said, pointing back in the direction he came. "I didn't find anything about my past back there, but I did see some men loading the Master Emerald onto a space shuttle." Sonic and Ashura looked at each other, while Shadow added, "I must say I'm amazed that the echidna hasn't shown up yet..."

Ashura rushed past Shadow, catching him a little off-guard. "C'mon Sonic, we don't have much time."

Sonic nodded. "I'm right behind you, Ashura... for a change." Sonic rushed past a bewildered Shadow, then looked back, waving, "Thanks Shadow."

Shadow just watched them, a puzzled expression on his face. "What the hell's going on?"

Minutes later, Sonic and Ashura stood at the outside of what they thought was the launch complex. It looked like it had been thrown together quickly, with large metal sheets held together either by nails or welding covering the outside of the building. There were no doors where they were, with the only means of access being various makeshift docks underneath.

Ashura seemed very on edge, sensing the power of the Emerald on the other side of the wall. "It's in there."

"It'd be nice to know how much time we have," Sonic said, kneeling to look down at the docks below. "To be honest, I'd rather not go through that way." He got to his feet, then spoke into a watch-shaped radio, "Tails! Talk to me buddy!"

Tails voice came over, but was badly broken up by static. "Sorry...ic, the sig...being jamm..."

"Damn," Ashura said, looking up in the sky, "I was really hoping HE wasn't coming."

Sonic looked up to see Knuckles gliding through the air. "Knuckles!"

Knuckles spotted them, then, almost reluctantly, floated towards them, dropping when he was in front of them. "Great," he muttered, looking towards them. "I didn't know he was coming."

"Trying to start something, echidna?" Ashura muttered angrily, preparing to draw his staff.

"Of course he was coming," Sonic said, swiftly moving between the two, playing the peacekeeper. "It's his Emerald we're after."

"No, I meant HIM," Knuckles replied, pointing beyond the two hedgehogs. They both looked to see Shadow dashing towards them, gliding swiftly on his air shoes.

"Great," Sonic said, Shadow slowing down as he approached. "Now all we need are some chips and drinks and we can throw one heck of a party."

"Geez," Knuckles replied, "I don't know if I can handle THREE hedgehogs."

"So, Shadow," Sonic said nonchalantly, "did you finally decide that being a historian was a bit too cut and dried for the world's 'Ultimate Lifeform?'"

Ashura gave Sonic a puzzle looked, then muttered under his breath, "What?"

"Don't be so absurd," Shadow replied, not paying attention to the green hedgehog. "I just came back because I didn't think that you could handle the task ahead on your own." He paused, chuckling to himself. "Besides, I figure you'd be interested in this..."

He held out his hand, his arm from the elbow down beginning to glow red. The light soon began to gather towards his hand, forming into a bright ball in the palm. The light then brightened briefly before subsiding into an eight-sided gem.

"A Chaos Emerald?!" Knuckles said.

"That's can't be a Chaos Emerald!" Sonic replied.

"That's also what I thought when I found it," Shadow said as the stone floated in his palm. "In fact, its not quite as powerful as the one's we know as THE Chaos Emeralds. However, after I saw the green hedgehog's reaction when I mentioned the Master Emerald, I figured the legend had to be true."

"What legend?" Sonic said.

Ashura looked at the gem, and as he did, he felt his spines beginning to stick up on edge. "Where'd you find this?"

Shadow's answer was cut off when a loud siren went off. "Damn," he said, almost perfectly calm.

"We're too late!" Ashura said anger quickly filling their voice. The concrete began to start cracking it began to vibrate violently. "They're launching!"

"We have to get in there!" Sonic said, rushing towards the steel wall. He did, however, the tip of the rocket began to clear the top of the building.

Sonic, Ashura, and Knuckles all looked up as it began to get higher and higher up in the air. Knuckles glanced briefly over to Ashura, muttering, "You owe me big-time for lending you MY Emerald."

Ashura just ignored him, looking up as the rocket's thruster began to become visible. As it inched further into view, he clenched his fists tighter, and his face grew angrier.

"You should really learn to relax," Shadow said, making Ashura nearly snap. He held the gem in his hand, which began to glow brighter. "As I said, I thought you couldn't handle this situation alone. I must warn you not to get your hopes up, however, considering this Emerald doesn't have quiet as much power as the others..."

An expression of amusement crossed Sonic's face. "Chaos Contro-"

There was a very bright flash, which covered the area with light, then suddenly dimmed. The concrete pathway soon collapsed into the water below, but the four of them were nowhere to be seen.

The rocket continued its ascent into the sky.

* * *

Location: Formerly the JFK Space Center, Southern Florida  
Time: 3:05 PM EST (Eastern Standard Time)  
Date: May 25

Zero reclined back in the elevator as it traveled down, his eyes closed. Deep down, he hated this place. It brought back too many bad memories. Of course, that wasn't anything new.

It had been a relatively peaceful day up until about an hour ago. Then all hell broke lose as three Mavericks were reported causing damage to a research facility. When Zero finally arrived, however, he found most of the personal had been killed and an experimental engine stolen. It didn't take long before they were tracked to this space center, the very same one that Repliforce had used years ago.

_Damn, how long ago was that? _ he thought. _It couldn't have been more than twenty-five years. Why does it still haunt me?_

The elevator finally stopped at the bottom. He opened his eyes and pushed off the elevator's back wall. As he moved closer to the door, he reached back and slowly drew his inactive energy saber from its holster on his back. Then the doors slid open.

He semi-casually walked out, gripping the now glowing saber tightly, his tension rising. He looked both ways down the hallway. It was completely empty, the emergency lighting giving it a dreadful appearance.

"It's quiet," Zero said to himself, "too qui--"

"Don't go quoting some cliché line on me yet, Zero," spoke a male navigator through a speaker in Zero's helmet, making him jump. "There's about five mechaniliods at the end of the hallway to your right. Nothing too fancy, just a couple of Mets and a few Bats. You shouldn't even break a sweat."

"Thanks," Zero replied, turning to the right. "How far is it to the target?"

"About one hundred meters. That's not including another elevator, which you need to go up. From here, it looks like it's out of commission, so you'll have to climb it manually."

"That's okay," Zero replied, slowing down as he came closer to the room at the end of the hallway. "It's usually faster to climb rather than ride. Besides, I hate elevator music."

As soon as Zero entered the room, three bat-like robots dropped from the ceiling, homing in on his location. He pointed his left arm up, his hand and wrist converting into an energy cannon. He sniped two of them, the third coming too close. He hopped backwards a few feet, then sliced the bat with his saber, slicing it diagonally, after which it exploded.

He suddenly felt something, probably an energy blast, hit him in the back. He spun around to see a small robot peak out from under a copper-colored helmet. He sliced at it, but it had ducked under before the blade connected, its energy canceling out.

He paused and looked around him as it hid, quickly observing his surroundings. He was in was appeared to be a cafeteria. There were many tables in the room, many that appeared to have been destroyed in some sort of fight. He couldn't see the other Mettaur, though.

The Met that had attacked him peaked out from under its helmet, and seeing that Zero wasn't looking directly at him, started to run off to get a better shot. Zero, however, spun around, firing off a shot from his Buster. The Met exploded, its helmet flying a few feet in the air.

"Robby, where's the other damn Met?" Zero called.

"Looks like it took up a position in the entrance to the next hallway," the navigator said. "That hallway should stretch for about ten meters until you reach one of the storage bays. There's a good fifteen mechaniloids in there. Those won't be quite as easy as the last ones."

"I'll be able to handle it," Zero replied, walking slowly over to the entrance to the next hallway. "I was getting a little bored anyways."

"Alright," Robby replied. "Just be careful; there's plenty of adjoining rooms along the way, so watch out for sneak attacks."

Zero saw the Met on the floor, hiding under its helmet. He came close, standing right next to it. It sat there, waiting for him to move away.

Zero gave it a swift kick, sending it flipping end over end into the air. Zero fired a shot at it, catching it on its helmet side, the shot ricocheting into the nearby wall. He took another shot, destroying it.

He continued his trek towards his target. It was still dark and eerily quiet. "So," Zero said seemingly to himself, "any info on my target?"

"There were three Mavericks awhile ago," Robby replied. "However, they seem to have activated some sort of jamming device around one of the launch bays. I'm only picking up one of them, a one Magma Oxford. He's a fire-type animal-class reploid designed for volcanic exploration. He uses the heat of the magma stored in an internal tank to keep running, which is a downside because it's prone to damage from extreme cold and-"

"That's enough, Ensign," a woman's voice said over the speaker. Zero chuckled as he immediately recognized the voice.

"Err, sorry Commander Alia," Robby said, a little panicked. "Guess I got a little carried away."

"That's alright, Robby," Zero replied. "I thought it was a bit too quiet anyways. Just for future reference, what's he weak to?"

"Err… one moment," he replied, still sounding a little nervous. "By the way it looks, he weak to extreme cold temperatures, so your techniques of Hyouretsuzan and Hydroga should prove effective. Hayate should also be useful against him, though not to quite the same degree."

"Alright, I'll keep those in mind," he said. He slowed his pace as he came closer to the opening to the storage room.

"Just so you know," Robby said nervously, "the mechanaloids most likely know you're coming… thanks to, um… me…"

Zero laughed. "Don't worry yourself. You're a navigator leading one of the top-rated hunters." Zero stopped, getting the best glimpse of what awaited him ahead. "And besides, I'd prefer a straight fight over all this sneaking around."

Ten minutes later, Zero approached the last room before the elevator shaft leading to where the Mavericks had held up. From where he was, however, he could tell that someone had already been there. With that in mind, he slowly entered the room, saber clutched tightly and at the ready.

"Robby!" he spoke, "Speak to me! What happened?"

"Huh," Robby said, somewhat amused. "We seem to have had an unauthorized Hunter enter the base awhile ago."

Zero dashed to the center of the room, stopping to examine the remains of a large mechaniloid. As he studied, he noticed something rather familiar about how it had been destroyed.

"It looks someone hacked this mechaniloid to bits…" Zero said, slowly standing up, deactivating his saber. "Someone with an axe to grind." He slowly began to turn around to look at the wall behind him.

Leaning against the wall behind him, arms crossed, was a rather attractive black-haired female reploid, suited into moderately simplistic green armor with tan shoulders and joints. The left arm of her suit was more armored than the other, meant to give her better strength when swinging her large, high-tech battle-axe that was at her side.

"I've confirmed the identity of the Hunter," Robby responded, "Its –"

"Dee," Zero said, cutting the navigator off.

She looked up. "Hello there, Captain Zero."

Zero crossed his arms. "Dee, the Special A-ranked hunter who joined the Hunters just last year. By far one of best female hunters in all of Maverick Hunter history. And for some strange reason, she seems bound and determined to join the Special Zero unit, one of the harshest units in all of the Maverick Hunters…" Zero smiled, blushing a little. "Rumor has it she has a bit of a crush on the leader of that particular unit…"

Dee blushed a little and giggled as she put her hand to her mouth, saying, "Opps, was it that obvious?"

Zero chuckled. "So, are you going out of your way to request a date, or are you stalking me?"

"Well," Dee said, pushing off the wall, her expression turning serious, "I actually was trying to prove that I'm worthy of Unit Zero."

"Well," Zero said seriously, "I'll be honest and say this is a bad time for that. After all, there's a group of Mavericks planning who knows what…" Zero paused, then asked sheepishly, "Unless you took care of them already?"

"No," she replied. "I think I could have taken that Magma Ox one, but I figured it'd be best if I had back up…" She paused, then added, "just in case…"

"Alright," Zero said. "We'd better get moving. The elevator shaft is just ahead, right?"

Dee nodded, pointing towards the door on behind Zero. "Just go through that door and look up. Something looks like its on fire up top, so we'd better stay alert." She retrieved the axe from against the wall, and, with little effort, hoisted it over her shoulder.

Zero walked towards the door, letting Dee keep pace behind him. Once through, he immediately leapt to the wall in front of him, clung to it a bit, then kicked off it. He repeated the process, gradually gaining height.

Dee had jumped to the wall behind him, and was just a little below him. She didn't wall-kick like Zero did, but actually scaled the wall. She was able to match his speed, managing to not get ahead of him or fall behind. Needless to say, he was quite impressed.

Five minutes passed, and they managed to get to the top, the trip up being rather uneventful. However, there was a raging fire in front of them, and about twenty feet of the passageway ahead of them was destroyed. Beyond there was the door that most likely led to the target.

Zero studied the obstacles that lay ahead. "Well, this really isn't that difficult," he said. "Just a good wall kick and air dash should do the job…"

"Umm… Captain Zero?" Dee asked, looking down at the floor her face red.

"Yes?" Zero said.

She looked him in the eyes. "Could I ride you?"

Zero blankly looked at her. "What?"

"Well…" Dee said, her face turning beet red. "I haven't been equipped with either Kuuenbu or Heinyako, and I can't exactly kick off the wall very well."

"And you need me to carry you over?" Zero said, rather annoyed.

"…Yes."

Zero sighed, then turned around. "Climb on," he said, less than enthusiastically.

Dee hopped onto his back, her arms wrapping around his shoulders. She clung on tight, making sure she didn't fall during the trip.

Zero straightened up, looking towards the door. "This is so embarrassing…"

"Good luck, Zero!" he heard Alia say over the speaker, a lot of laughter echoing in the background.

"If any of this leaves that room, I'm going to go Maverick on all your asses!" He was a little angry, and still incredibly embarrassed. He looked over his shoulder to Dee, whose blushing face was covered with an expression of glee. "Don't enjoy yourself too much…"

She quickly tried to make a serious face, saying, "I'll try not to… sir."

Zero let out an annoyed sigh, then dashed towards one of the walls. He leapt up, Dee's weight greatly decreasing his jump height. He then kicked off the wall, trying to gain as much height as he could while moving closer to the gap. Once he reached the very end of the wall, he leapt off, and at the height of his jump, used the thrusters in his feet to boost him across.

When the boost ran out, they began to fall. Zero could tell that they didn't have enough to make it. However, before he said anything, Dee removed one of her arms from around him. The next thing he knew, he saw the axe go flying, its handle replaced by a long metal wire. As Zero began to lose sight of the door, he saw it hit the wall just next to it, sticking deep enough in to hold their combined weight.

They continued falling until the wire reached its maximum distance. There was a sudden sharp jerk, after which Zero found himself briefly falling, Dee losing hold of him as she held onto the handle that was connect by the wire. She quickly caught his arm as he fell, making sure not to lose him. She then smiled down to him, a relieved expression on her face.

She pulled them back up to the ledge. When she couldn't go any higher without dropping Zero, she threw him up to the platform with as much ease as she had lifting the axe before. Zero quickly landed on him feet, then turned around, kneeling down while offering a hand. She took it and climbed up with his help.

"When we get back," he said as she moved over to the wall to remove the axe, "I'm making sure you learn BOTH the double jump AND air dash, as WE 'experienced' Hunters refer to them as."

"Really?" Dee said, still smiling as she retrieved her axe. "If that's the case, why don't you call the 'Hyouretsuzan' the 'thrusting ice stab'?"

"It doesn't sound as professional," Zero said. "Plus the way you put it makes it sound obscene."

He slowly walked towards the door, which opened up as he approached. As he did, she watched him, the smile turning into a more quizzical expression. As she went out of view, he said reluctantly, "Thank you for saving me back there."

"You're welcome," she replied. "And thank you for helping me get across."

Zero said nothing for a while, then sarcastically replied, "I swear I'll get you for that."

Zero stopped in front of the door leading to where the Maverick waited, giving Dee a chance to catch up. He felt edgy look at the door, as it really hadn't changed since all that time ago.

He heard her approach behind, making him instinctively reach for his saber. She either didn't noticed or pretended not to notice his reaction, saying in a serious tone, "What are you waiting for?"

Zero finished drawing his saber, pointing to the ground in front of him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to ready himself for the impending battle. "Nothing," he said in a cold tone, one that probably made Dee a little nervous. "Let's go."

He walked through the door, Dee close behind, with her axe at ready. The room ahead was almost exactly like the room him and Colonel had fought in decades ago. It hardly was a room at all; there were no walls to the left and right of them, and was no ceiling. The floor was the same metal floor that was here last time, though it was pretty clear it had been repaired. The only things that were different were the sky, which was a blue afternoon sky instead of one during sunset, and the Reploid he was going to battle was directly in front of them.

A large round Reploid about twice as high as Zero stood in front of them. His appearance looked that of an ox, though his horns where made of swirling fire coming out of the sides of his head. The tips of his fingers had holes in them, the very edge of the metal melted from heat exposure. His chest had a shutter on it, most like where he refilled his lava, or where he fired it as a weapon. His armor color was charred black, most likely also from exposure to extreme heat.

"Magma Oxford," Zero heard Dee say nervously, "I presume."

"Correct, young lady," came a deep, bellowing voice.

"Why have you infiltrated this space port?" Zero demanded.

"I'm surprised you haven't guessed," Oxford replied. "Me and my brothers plan to prove that humans and Reploids shouldn't travel to the stars."

"Your saying you're from Terra's Champions?" Dee asked.

"The T.C.?" Oxford laughed. "No, I'm part of the Children of Earth."

"That's rich," Dee laughed in a serious tone. "You expect us to buy that? The C.O.E. believe in peaceful protests. If you're a member, you would have been kicked out."

"Not that we'll give you a chance," Zero replied, readying to attack. "You murdered people back at that research facility, both human and Reploid. You're nothing but a Maverick!"

"You really wish to stop us?" Oxford took up his fighting stance, his arms stretched forward. The flames that made his horns began to swirl violently, while the tips of his fingers began to light up. "Let's see what you've got."

"You must be insane," Dee said, readying her axe. "You're going to go up against two Special A's? You don't have a chance!"

"Perhaps," he replied. "But at the very least I can die as a martyr to my cause."

"Shut up already!" Zero dashed forward, leaping into the air. Oxford fired a shot of lava towards Zero, but his timing was off as it went underneath, hitting the wall behind. Dee dodged to the right as it did, waiting for Zero to do his attack before striking.

Zero managed to get above Oxford, then thrust his saber downwards. The blade became pure ice as he executed the Hyouretsuzan. The tip of the blade smashed into the metal of Oxford's head, the shards of ice melting as they came in contact with the flaming horns, extinguishing them. The attack barely left a scratch, but the impact was enough to send Oxford stumbling.

Dee went in for her attack as Zero leapt away. Dashing forwards, she swung her axe, the blade singing in the air. However, Oxford had stumbled away, so the cut went shallow, slicing on his finger cannons in half.

"Damn!" She rushed forwards again, leaping in the air. She brought the blade down in a vertical chop. Oxford had regained his balance, bringing his right arm up to block the shot. Sparks flew as the blade collided with the thick armor. However, it was clear that it had only made a scratch.

"You fool," he said, pushing Dee's axe away with his arm. "You think a simple axe will do any damage? This armors thick enough to handle the heat from one hundred meters inside a volcano!"

"You'd better watch your back instead of taunting, you fool!" Zero said. He was once again in the air, aiming to hit again with the Hyouretsuzan. He landed the ice blade again, this time hitting the large Reploid in the back. This time, he had found a weak point, cracking the armor as flames briefly erupted.

Oxford reeled back in agony as Zero leapt away again. Dee saw she had an opening at what was most likely his weak spot: the front shutter. She took a quick horizontal slash at it, scraping the metal and leaving a rather deep gash. He stumbled backwards as she dashed forwards, taking another swiped at the shutter. She managed to land it in nearly the same spot, cutting the gash deeper.

He managed to regain his focus, aiming one of his arms at her. "Burn!" he shouted, five shots of lava launching from each finger. As Dee went to avoid the shots, he spun around, trying to aim at Zero. However, when he looked behind him, Zero was nowhere in sight. He only saw Zero's saber on the ground, pointing up…

He froze in horror as he realized what was about the happen. Zero stood right behind him, his Buster pointed directly at his back. Without a word, he fired a shot, knocking Oxford forward to the ground, the saber impaling him in the chest. The armor on the shutter cracked and burst, lava spilling out from underneath him.

Oxford laid there, the remains of his Reploid life fading away. Both Zero and Dee walked up towards the front of him. He looked up at Dee, using what ever little strength he had to say, "Why? Why do… do you fight for them? After what… they did to you?" Dee's expression turned pail in realization of what he meant.

Zero didn't immediately notice, just saying, "He was just an ordinary Maverick after all." There was a long eerie silence, which made Zero realize something was wrong. He looked over, seeing Dee's pail face, a long and sorrowful expression on her face. "Hey," he said, reaching over to supportively touch her shoulder, "are you okay?"

She was a little startled at this. She shook her head, stating, "Yeah, everything's fine."

Zero knew she was lying about it. However, the building started to shake. He heard a loud roar over in the direction of the door Oxford had been guarding. "Damn!" he shouted, running over to the door at full speed.

He blasted through the door. One of the shuttles was taking off from the launch bay, with the door leading to the outside wide open. He clenched his teeth in frustration.

Dee slowly walked through, looking out towards the launch bay. "This is all my fault…" she said, in a deeply depressed tone.

Zero didn't say anything. He just watched as the shuttle gained height, getting further and further out of view.

The speaker in Zero's helmet chimed on, and Robby's voice shouted over. "What's going on?!"

"They got away," Zero replied.

"What's the condition of the shuttles?" Robby asked frantically.

Zero looked down at the rest of the bay's shuttles, noting that none of them were damaged. "They appear to be functional."

"Good!" Robby shouted. "Awhile ago, we got the specs for that engine they stole. Douglas has been putting it together, and all the simulations show green. With the jamming field out of commission, he can transfer himself and the engine straight into the bay."

"Good," Zero replied, not quite as cold as before. "Get him over here right away."

"Alright, he'll be in there in a few minutes." There was a pause, then Robby added, "How are you two doing?"

Zero looked at Dee, who was looking towards the ground in shame. "Fine," he replied.

Douglas had arrived with the engine a few minutes later, and began installing it immediately. Zero reclined against a nearby shuttle, his arms crossed and eyes closed. He glanced out every once and awhile, looking towards Dee, who was sitting on some crates, just out of view of Douglas. He sighed, not sure what to do about the situation.

About an hour passed, but for whatever reason, Zero wasn't anxious like he normally would be. He found himself worrying more about Dee and what she might do. Maybe this would just pass in time or it might not. He realized that the sooner the issue was dealt with, the better.

"Captain Zero!" he heard Douglas shout. "The engine's installation is complete! Permission to prepare for take-off in five minutes?"

Zero sighed, then replied, "Better make it ten."

Douglas just looked at him, rather puzzled. "Alright," he said. "I'll prepare to take off in ten minutes."

Zero nodded, then walked over to Dee. She looked up briefly, her face tear-stricken, which surprised Zero. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, ashamed to have let Zero see her in this condition. "I'm fine."

"Don't lie to me," he replied sternly, catching her by surprise. "If this is going to compromise the mission, then you'd better deal with it soon."

Dee looked away. "I'd rather not talk about it," she said.  
Zero paused, then said, "What Oxford said back there… about fighting for the Hunters… or, perhaps the humans…"

"I'm not fighting for the humans," she said blatantly.

Zero was surprised, then asked, "Then what are you fighting for?"

"I'm just trying to prove myself," she replied coldly. "I don't give a damn about the humans; I just want to prove that I'm more than what I am… I WAS."

Zero sighed. "That kind of thinking is why others like Sigma went Maverick."

"I'm no Maverick," she replied sternly.

"Try not to act like one," Zero said coldly. "If you do, you'll someday be considered a Maverick, and more than likely I'll be the one who's going to hunt you down and retire you." He turned around, his expression still cold, and started walking away. "And to be honest," he added, "that's something I'd rather not be forced to do."

She looked at him. "Why do you fight?" she asked, stopping him dead in his tracks. "Do you fight for them?"

Zero closed his eyes, thinking. "No," he replied. "I fight because it's my duty, to the Hunters and to my friends." He paused, thinking back to the Eurasia Incident. "And besides, I'd don't want to have to fight him again."

Dee just sat there as Zero continued walking away. He stopped, then turned to her. "Well, are you coming? You said you had something to prove. Let's go get those other two Mavericks."

* * *

Location: Near the old McKinney residence, Northern Wisconsin  
Time: 7:30 PM CST  
Date: May 25

Nathan leaned on the fence that stood between him and the edge of the high cliff overlooking the lake. A cool lake breeze blew towards him, making him shiver. He stared out on the horizon, watching the water ripple, splashing quietly on the rocks below.

He often found himself doing this, staring out upon the horizon, looking out across the lake. It usually helped him relax on a bad day, letting him focus. There usually was never anybody around except a few animals, allowing him a moment of relative calm.

Today was different, however. He couldn't figure it out, but whatever it was made him feel edgy. He thought it was related to the presence he had felt, this mysterious meteor crash, or maybe the thought of a possible connection between the two.

He looked down upon the water, where one more search boat floated, a couple of divers emerging from the depths. He sensed they were disappointed, apparently not finding anything they wanted to find.

"Maybe it burned up before it hit the water," he heard one of them say.

"With the damage done to the old building," the other said. "The thing should have been large enough for us to find something."

The first diver sighed. "Well, it's getting late. Let's call it a night and head back. We'll resume our search tomorrow."

The other one nodded as they climbed aboard the boat. They started it up and took off towards the east.

Nathan watched them go, then took a glance at the building that sat on a nearby hill. The roof was scorched like Heather had said, but not as bad as he had imagined. The trees nearby looked like the tops had been ripped off, and the higher portions had been lit on fire.

He sensed some people in the old building, which he thought was a bit unusual. The old McKinney place had been abandoned for about fifty years and a "No Trespassing" sign hung on a fence that encircled the property. Nathan never came too close to the place, always staying far away. It had never interested him as he had heard stories about some students entering the place to find nothing of interest.

He shrugged, looking back upon the lake to the spot that the divers had been checking out. There wasn't anything strange about it; the only thing being of possible interest was an island off shore. Still, there was something strange in the air.

Was it a presence? Was he being watched?

"Hi Nathan!" came a familiar, cheerful voice, scaring him half to death. He whipped around to see Heather, her face cheerful as usual, a purse hanging from her shoulder, and holding two fast food bags in one hand and two bottles of soda in another.

"Heather!" he shouted as his heart raced. "What are you doing here?!"

She looked at him, a concerned expression on her face. "Are you alright? It's not like you to be so jumpy like that."

"It's not?" he said, a little surprised.

"No," she replied, "you always seem to know when someone's around." She held out one of the bags to him. "Anyways, I brought you something to eat."

He took the bag nervously. "Thanks…" he said. They sat down on a rock, facing the lake. Nathan opened the bag, taking out a burger wrapped in foil and began to unwrap it. "How'd you know I'd be out here?"

"I had a hunch," she replied. "I thought you'd be out here, looking around to see if there was anything interesting. So I thought this would as good as time as ever for a date."

He swallowed the food he had been eating a bit hard, caught off guard by her statement. "A… DATE?" he said nervously.

"Why not?" she replied. "We've known each other since grade school. I've actually been waiting for you to ask me out, but I always figured you be too shy to do that."

"Yeah," Nathan replied nervously. He took a drink of his soda, then asked, "But aren't we a little young for that?" That had to have been one of the dumbest thing he'd had said in his life.

Heather just laughed. "No, I don't think so. Mary Sue's been dating that Johnny guy for almost half a year now. Besides, I know a lot of people who've had sex already, so--"

Nathan had been in the middle of drinking some soda when the word "sex" was mentioned. His immediate reaction was to spit his soda out, misting in the air in front of him.

Heather laughed at him, clearly amused. "What's wrong? You don't want sex?"

"No!" Nathan stuttered, his face turning about a shade of red a second, "I mean, yes! I mean… isn't that rushing things?"

Heather had been trying her best not to laugh. "I was just teasing you," she said with a giggle. "To be honest, I'd really like to keep this simple, maybe just going to see a movie, and maybe stop at McDonald's. Nothing too complicated." She looked out upon the lake. "Besides, we're just entering high school. After that, we'll probably both be off to college. A lot of things can happen between now and then. What if you don't think I'm not the right one?"

"Sure you are," Nathan inadvertently blurted.

She turned to look at him, a little surprised. "Do you really think so?"

"…yeah," he replied, a little embarrassed. Trying his best to overcome his nervousness, he added sheepishly, "You're one of the nicest… smartest…"

"Hottest?" Heather looked at him with a skeptical look on her face.

Nathan paused nervously, "Well… I think you're cuter than you are hot. Besides, most of the hot one's are personality-less automatons."

"Really?" Heather said, laughing at this statement. "Ya' know, it means a lot to hear that from you." She looked back out on the lake. "A lot of the other girls think I'm a fool to like you. They all think you're this big loser, someone who hangs out with all the weaklings in the class. To be honest, I don't believe that."

"You really don't?"

"No," she continued. "I've seen some of the fights you've gotten into. Most of the time, you're there to try helping someone who's being pushed around by Aswies or people like him. Its like you don't want to see people have to suffer. You want to help people who need it, regardless of who they are…" Nathan felt her hand touch his, catching him by surprise. He looked down at it, then back at her, his face red. She smiled, and as she began to lean towards him, said, "It's something I love about you…"

Nathan found himself feeling excited and scared at the same time. Sweat began to bead on his forehead, his heart began racing. This would be the first time in his life where he'd kiss someone that meant something to him and not seem like childish gesture. He had been looking forward to this moment, but for some reason he was holding back, like if something inside him was saying he wasn't ready.

Before he had a chance to try to fight this subconscious reaction, he was hit with a sudden sharp joint of pain, one that, while not being his, made him stumble off the rock. He felt right arm suddenly felt numb even as he leaned up on it, making him reach over to check if it was still there. His face went pale, as a cold sweat began forming on his brow.

Heather looked down at him, surprised and puzzled at this sudden reaction. "What's wrong?" she asked with a worried expression on her face.

Then they both heard it. There was a blood-curtailing scream off in the direction of the old house, making them both look in that direction. Nathan sensed emotions from four people in the house, consisting of pain, fear, anger, and glee, making his hair stick on end and his stomach churn. If there was one thing he hated the most, it was someone getting pleasure out of someone's pain.

"Oh my god!" Heather cried in nearly pure terror. "That was Asweis!"

Nathan got to his feet, stumbling a little from the sudden change of emotions. "Go get help," he told her. "I'll go and –"

Another shot of pain hit him, which lasted much shorter and was followed by the feeling of what he deemed equivalent of someone's soul being ripped from their body. He lost his balance and landed on his hands and knees, vomiting soon after from the shock.

"Nathan!" she shouted, terror in here voice. "Are you—?"

"I'll be fine," he blurted. In reality, however, he didn't feel fine. His entire body shook with sudden shock of death, a feeling that something he rarely felt and never this strong. He found himself filled with fear, his own fear for a change, and he considered running away and just reporting this to the police.

However, the foul taste of malicious amusement that almost was the only thing that remained in the McKinney residents made him want to keep going. Was it heroics, or was it just plain foolishness? Why did he want to keep going?

He felt a warm arm reach around his arm, helping him to his feet. He looked to see Heather, her once smiling face covered in an expression of fear, tears starting to run down her cheeks. She was worried for him, not sure exactly what was happening.

"You don't look fine," she said sternly.

"Heather…" he started, "I don't think—"

"I don't know what's going on up there," she said, cutting him off, "but somehow, it's affecting you. I don't know if you can do this on your own."

Nathan looked at her for a moment, not sure what to say. He was soon hit by another burst of pain, not nearly as bad as the last, causing him to stumble, Heather's strength keeping him from falling. He shook it off, quickly regaining his balance.

"Fine," he said, smiling through the shock, "you win."

They ran up to the house together, Nathan managing to walk up under his own power after a few minutes. Heather had taken the lead, trying to not get too far ahead of him. He worried, more like knew, something bad awaited them up top, and tried to get her to slow down.

She reached the door first, her face turning pale as she looked in. She turned around and looked at him briefly, a sickly expression on her face, then went over to a nearby bush and vomited behind it.

What lay beyond the doorway looked like something out of horror film. The dimness of the interior gave off an eerie atmosphere, as blood formed a virtual ocean on the floor. A deck of cards was sitting in the blood pool, the stack knocked over with a few cards floating next to it, every one seeming soaked crimson red. There was someone's severed arm about in the middle of the room, with two bodies lying nearby at odd angles.

In the far corner of the room facing the door was Chad, lying against the wall, his skin an almost ghostly pale, his clothes covered with blood. He looked very weak, his eyes almost half rolled back in his head. His right arm short of the shoulder was completely gone, drops of blood landing in a small pool underneath.

"Are they…" Heather asked, coughing a little.

Nathan sensed that Chad and one of the others were still alive. He slowly walked in, glancing at the bodies only briefly, trying to keep his composure. He immediately noticed that one of them, laying face down in the pool, had been decapitated. The other was still alive but unconscious, his throat literally torn out, making a hideous gasping sound as he tried to breathe. Nathan checked his pulse, even though he knew that his life was slipping away. There was nothing he could do for him.

"Hey dickface," he heard Chad say. Nathan looked over, seeing Chad looking at him. He weakly glanced over to the doorway, muttering, "What's she doing here?"

Nathan looked over to see Heather slowing entering the room, holding a handkerchief to her mouth. "Chad…" she said quietly. "What… HAPPENED?"

Nathan stood up, walking over to Heather, and put his hand on her shoulder, trying to lend support. He felt her hand touched his, cold from the horrors she had seen. She looked at him, tears streaked down her pale face, and managed to make a weak smile.

"Me and the boys were in here," Chad started to say, "just playing some cards after we studied what little there was to see. Then**, **this short, weird-looking guy just appeared out of nowhere, asking if we were the one he was supposed to find. We didn't think much of it, just some oddball acting like some fucking alien. We started making fun of him, after which he got pissed and fired off this strange blast…" Chad looked towards what remained of his arm.

"The first shot took out a good half-a-foot of my arm. The guys panicked, Adam frozen like a deer in headlights while Will trying to run." He pointed over to the headless body. "Will ended up getting his head blasted off from behind; I don't think there's anything left of it." He pointed over to the other body. "Adam, after seeing Will get his head blasted off, decided that he had to try and fight. It looked like he was fairing pretty well, but that freak showed he was only toying with him, after which he ripped Adam's throat out with his bare hands."

Chad laid his arm back down, his hand hitting the floor with a loud thump. "Heh…" he laughed as glanced towards Nathan, his eyes half rolling back as tears began to form, "I supposed this is something you always wanted to see, eh Mathios?"

"No," Nathan replied, catching Heather by surprise. "While there were times I absolutely hated you, I don't think you deserved this… nor did anyone else" He then looked at the remains of Chad's arm. He removed the cord that tighten the hood of his sweatshirt, then used to wrap around what remained of the limb, in hopes of cutting off the blood flow.

"Wow," Chad muttered, trying to sound sarcastic. "You tied that so tight I can't feel my arm… oh, wait…"

They laughed uneasily at the situation. "We need to get you out of here--" Nathan started to say. However, he felt a sudden chill, like he was being watched. He snapped around, looking behind to a doorway to a nearby room.

Heather looked at him, the fear in her voice growing. "What is it?"

"You can feel him, can't you?" Chad muttered, catching Nathan by surprise. "He's still here, waiting for this person he's looking for. We should get out of here, before he comes for you two…"

Nathan stood up, staring at the doorway. "Heather," he said calmly, "help Chad, then get out of here."

She stared at him, worrying about what he was about to do. "You're going to go looking for this guy?"

Nathan nodded. "I want to confront him about what he's done."

"Are you fucking crazy?!" Chad said, putting as much strength as he could into his voice. "Look what happened to us! You think you'd fair any better?!"

"I don't know," he said. "But I promise I'll come back alive."

As he pressed onwards, he felt both of them watch him, a feeling of dread filling them both. He then heard Chad mutter, "I always knew he had a death wish."

He slowly walked through the house, heading towards a large, broken window that looked upon the lake. He could still hear Chad and Heather's mumblings, as well as sense their emotions. He could sense the presence as well, but couldn't figure out where it was coming from exactly. He assumed that he'd confront whomever the source was if he kept going straight, but he had yet to find anyone.

He soon reached the last room along his path. However, there wasn't anything of interest in the room, just some old dusty furniture. Looking around, noticed a door on his right, deciding that he'd go that way next.

"So," he heard a man say behind him, "you wouldn't happen to be the one I'm looking for?"

Nathan turned to see a man dressed in a bland-looking grey uniform standing behind him, his arms crossed. He was less than a foot shorter than Nathan was, sporting slicked-back hair, which appeared to be either dark brown or black in the dimness of the interior. A sarcastic smile crossed his angry face. His right hand was covered in blood.

Nathan turned to face him, trying his best not to look afraid. He could feel not only his emotions, which consisted of hatred, amusement, boredom, and annoyance, but his power. He could tell that trying to fight him would more than likely be a death sentence, so he could only hope he could debate with him.

"Who are you?" Nathan said, trying not to stutter with fear.

The man looked at him, a puzzled expression on his face. Nathan could sense that he was curious about something. He wondered if he could sense in some way that Nathan wasn't quite what he seemed to be.

The man quickly changed his to a more serious expression. "My name is Shic Gogach, one of, if not 'the,' last surviving member of the Chellosua race. I'm here on this miserable planet against my will, having been chased and shot down by a force I don't recognize. All I was told was to find something on this planet that was of apparent value, and that I would know what it was when I felt its presence." He chuckled, then pointed at Nathan. "That something is you."

Nathan panicked, uncertain at how to respond. "…ME?!"

Shic nodded. "That's right. You're different than a lot of the other second-rate trash on this world. Its fairly weak, but the aura emanating from you is superior to most of the other humans on this planet."

"I… I'm not different from everyone else…" Nathan said. He paused, thinking about his gift, saying a bit under his breath, "Am I?"

"Let me guess…" Shic continued, "It's some form of telepathy, isn't it?" Nathan looked up, seeing that Shic was mildly amused at his reaction. "Well, probably something not quite as strong. Empathy would probably be the correct assumption, wouldn't it?"

Nathan nodded, not saying a word.

"That's what I thought. Well, it seems you're abilities are fairly undeveloped at this point. Perhaps with a little… persuasion, you can reach you're full potential." He offered his blood-stained hand to Nathan. "Are you interested?"

Nathan looked at the hand, then glared at Shic, his eyes blazing with anger. "No," he said firmly. "Not after what you did."

"What do you mean?" Shic replied, clearly amused at the response. "All I did was clean up some of the low-level trash that wasn't of any use to me. Besides, what do you care? You're far better than any of them anyways."

"I refuse to believe that," Nathan replied. "I feel I'm no different than they are. Even if this 'gift' of empathy makes me better than everyone else somehow, I—"

Nathan then felt someone approaching. He looked to see Heather approaching, her face still pale. In the background, he heard sirens blaring as the members of law enforcement began traveling in there direction.

Shic sighed. "Looks like there's no more time for this little debate."

Nathan slowly backed up towards the door, trying to see if there was any chance to get away. He then felt someone tug at his arm from behind.

"Nathan," he heard Heather cry. "Please, let's leave. The police can handle him."

"Well," Shic said, "you're really not giving me a choice, are you? I guess I'm forced to have to take you with me." He held out his arm, forming a ball of light. "But we can't leave any witnesses."

"Wait!" Nathan said. "Please don't—"

Shic fired the ball of light, aiming it directly at Heather. She just stood to Nathan's side, frozen as her arm tightened around his. Nathan, realizing there wasn't any time to think, he stepped directly into the blast's past.

"Please let this be enough," he said to himself, just before the blast ripped into his chest…

* * *

Place: Unknown  
Time: Unknown  
Date: Unknown

_Am I… dead?_

Nathan slowly opened his eyes, looking into darkness. His eyes slowly began adjusting, and he soon realized that he was no longer in the old house. The walls appeared to be made of dark steel, with some strange lights flickering here and there. The air in the room was cold, making him shiver. He couldn't feel any presence around him, making him feel like he was in some strange void.

He felt his chest, feeling a bit of a sting, which made him snap his hand away. However, when he examined his hand, he realized it was clean. He looked down and realized that his blue sweatshirt was replaced with a loose-fitting grey uniform top.

A door slid open, releasing light into the dark room. Nathan instinctively shielded his eyes as they tried to adjust to the change.

"So you're finally awake," he heard a disturbing familiar voice.

He looked past his hand, his eyes slowly adjusting to the intruding light. He saw the familiar figure of Shic, but this time he couldn't feel his emotions. There was a strange headband wrapped around his head, made of a weird foil.

"You're probably wondering why you can't read me," he said. He pointed up to the headband, continuing, "Well, I took some precautions to prevent you from doing so."

"What happened?" Nathan said. "Where's Heather?"

"The girl?" Shic replied. "Oh, she's fine. I decided to spare her… for your sake, of course. Then again there is one price for all this."

Nathan looked at him puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Shic looked at him. "From now on, you shall do what I order you to. You no longer will have your freewill, as you will be my 'humble' servant."

Nathan looked down to the floor, a mixed bag of emotions filling him. He then sighed futilely. "I guess… it's a fair price for letting her live…"

Shic smiled sinisterly. "Glad to see you come to your senses." He turned around, exiting the room.

Nathan was left alone in the darkness, wondering what his seemingly bleak future might hold.


	2. Episode 2 Gathering

In this chapter, actual crossovers happen. And I abuse my main character some more.

Brief credits:  
- Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, and related Sonic the Hedgehog elements are property of Sega and Sonic Team.  
- Zero, Douglas, and related Megaman X elements are property of Capcom.  
- All original characters and elements are my property and may not be used.  
- Ashura the Hedgehog is technically not my character, but I do claim this version of him. Granted, I'm not sure what the rules are for characters based on glitches are...  
- Anything else I missed... well, you know...  
- I'd like to thank my cousin Jake for support.  
- The meaning of life, the universe, and everything is 42. Its up to you to find the question.

* * *

**Universal Link  
Gathering**

Nathan stood in the darkened living room of the old McKinney place, trying to shield Heather from Shic's energy blast. It hit him square in the chest, ripping through him like a knife through butter. Yet he remained standing, even as he saw blood pooling on the floor below him.

He reached down, feeling the gaping hole in his chest. It was clean through, both his heart and lungs completely destroyed. And yet, he stood there, paralyzed in overwhelming horror.

He heard a thump on the floor behind him, making him soon realize that he had failed. He spun around with surprising ease, seeing in horror Heather lying on the floor behind him. There was a gaping hole in her chest, blood pooling out and onto the floor. Her eyes were open with a blank gaze. As Nathan kneeled down, picking up her hand to check her pulse, tears came flooding from his eyes, knowing that only one thing was possible.

She was dead.

He held her hand, hoping that there would be some sort of response. As he kneeled there for what seemed like an eternity, he felt the warmth quickly leaving her body.

Was there anymore he could have done?

The rage inside him burned, angry with himself for his failure, angry with Shic for having been so cold-blooded and cruel. He let Heather's hand go, slowing standing up, clenching his fists as he sobbed. He then turned around, preparing to confront Shic.

However, Nathan froze as soon as he did, seeing more bodies lying on the ground between him and Shic in a virtual sea of blood. He saw the bodies of Adam and Will, just as he remembered seeing them, as well as Chad's body.

Shic stood on the other side, clearly amused by Nathan's reaction. "Tell me," he said, smirking villainously, "if you're equal to all this scum, how come you're the only one still alive?"

Nathan felt to where the hole had been, feeling his skin instead of the gap that had been there. He looked down, seeing that he was virtually soaked in blood, his blood, from his neck down. He felt his throat, feeling dry blood below his Adam's apple.

He paused, thinking back. Shic didn't slice his throat; at least, he didn't remember him doing it. As he studied his clothes, he soon realized something else that wasn't right.

The room had mysterious become lighter, which solid wood floor suddenly being replaced by soft, blood-soaked carpeting. He was no longer wearing jeans, but instead bloodied pajama bottoms. He was now barefoot as well, his tiny feet covered with dried blood.

He then paused, in realization what was going on. He slowly began to look up, seeing two more large patches of bloodstained carpeting in front of him. As he continued, a set of a woman's feet came into view. He realized in horror who it was, and tried to scream…

**Place: **Shic's ship, the _Gikuthoc  
_**Time: **Unknown  
**Date: **Unknown; Approx. 2 days after previous events

"No!" Nathan screamed, jolting forward in one of the reclined chairs. He was breathing hard, his heart pounding in his chest and body covered in sweat, shaking from the shock of the nightmare.

He looked around as he collected himself, glancing at all the monitors and control panels that lined the mostly empty command room. In front of him was a large glass window, with stars rushing by. A quiet hum of circuitry filled the air, creating a rather calming ambiance.

"Another nightmare?" he heard the disturbingly familiar voice say behind him. Nathan turned to see Shic standing with his back turned to him feet away, looking at some panels with glowing alien text. "That's the fourth one in almost two days. I'm starting to wish I had left you in that holding cell."

"Sorry," Nathan said, reclining back into the chair. He looked out at the stars, focusing on them, trying to relax his mind. Even without anyone's emotions, he found himself feeling uneasy, his mind racing. He was worried about so many things, like the well being of Heather, his folks worrying about whether he was dead or alive, what his future held.

He had begun to doze off when he felt a blunt object hit him on the top of the head. "That's enough sleeping," Shic said in an irritated voice. "I would like to be able to get some work done without being startled every twelve hours."

"What else am I supposed to do?" Nathan replied, feeling the throbbing welt on top of his head. "It not like there's anything to do around here, and you won't let me leave the bridge."

"You think I'm supposed give a damn?" Shic said. "Go masturbate for all I care. Just find something to do and quit distracting me."

Nathan just looked back out into space, trying to study what they were approaching. A large red object caught his attention. "What's that?" he said, pointing to it.

"Let me guess," Shic groaned, apparently not looking up. "It's big and red and has no discernable shape?"

"Yeah…" Nathan said, afraid to add anything else.

"I have no clue," Shic said matter-of-factly. "It just appeared there several months ago for no apparent reason. It's near the Ochoko systems, which I wasn't planning on passing through until my little 'trip' to Earth."

"What's there?"

"Nothing much, just some old, unused Azhile military base. It hasn't been used for centuries, ever since the 'Ochoko,' or, in your language, the 'Gathering.' Some big treaty was signed there."

"Is it—" Nathan began to say.

"Will you shut up?!" Shic shouted. "I'm trying to w—"

A loud siren filled the room, cutting off Shic's response. Nathan turned his chair, seeing Shic studying a monitor, a look of disgust on his face.

"Damn," Shic said. "I forgot all about that…"

"About what?" Nathan asked, worried about what he meant.

"There's a reason Earth is deemed forsaken," Shic replied. "It's like a virus in space; anything that touches is infected… at least, that's what the rumor was. I've checked the ship over with, what you'd say a 'fine-toothed comb,' and never found anything…"

"Infected? How?"

"What does it matter?" Shic replied. He looked back at the monitor. "Still, there shouldn't be any Azhile patrol ships in this area…" Shic's expression then turned to one of amusement. "Well, I'll be damned…"

Nathan got out of the chair, cautiously walking over to the monitor. Shic paid no attention, just laughing to himself. "A human commanding an Azhile ship single-handedly. That's a good one."

Nathan looked at him, a bit shocked. "You mean there's someone from Earth… piloting that ship?"

Shic shrugged. "Possibly. I've heard of human-like civilizations developing on other worlds. Still, the fact she's hanging out around these parts might mean that she's from Earth." Shic studied the display again. "She's closing on us."

A woman's voice resounded over the command room's speakers, speaking in an alien tongue that Nathan didn't recognize. He guessed that, taking into consideration what Shic had told him about Earth, she was either planning to stop or destroy them. Whatever the case, it sounded like she wasn't in a good mood.

However, he began to feel her emotions. They were very distant, but considering that they where the only emotions he had felt in about two days, they rang rather loud in his head. At first, they were of determination, surprise, and fear, at which he guessed that she had detected his life sign on Shic's ship. However, once she had moved in closer to the ship, he sensed deeper emotions: sadness and loneliness.

Shic moved over to what Nathan had guessed was the navigation station, sitting down in the chair. "Well, I don't feel like being either slowed or shot down," he muttered, operating a lever. "Hopefully we can ditch her on Ochoko."

Nathan felt the ship slowly begin to speed up. He walked back over to the chair he had been sleeping in, sitting back down. He had a bad feeling about what was going to happen next.

* * *

**Place: **The only habitable planet in the Ochoko system, Ochoko II  
**Time: **Unknown, best guess 2 P.M.  
**Date: **Unknown

"No Sonic," Ashura said annoyed.

Ashura stood in front of a doorway leading from the cargo bay to the main cabin of the shuttle, arms outstretched to block Sonic from getting past him. Shadow stood by one of the only windows, staring out upon the landscape outside, arms crossed and seemingly bored. Knuckles sat by a bunch of secured crates, his arms crossed and eyes closed, with one of his eyebrows twitching in what could be described as annoyance.

"C'mon, Ashura," Sonic said, irritated at his brother's actions. "Two of the guys left to look around, leaving the pilot and that weirdo here. I think we can take them."

"Your rash actions will likely get us all killed," Shadow said blatantly. "It'd be best to wait for the right moment to make our attack. Though I'm not stopping you if you wish to try."

"You trying to start something, Shadow?" Sonic replied.

"No," Shadow replied coldly. "And even if I was, you wouldn't have a chance."

"Wanna bet?! I took you back on the Ark almost a year ago, and I bet I can take you now!"

"I have no memory of that battle, so I highly doubt you won." Shadow paused, trying to think back. "Besides, I have no idea what this 'Ark' is."

"How can you not know what it is? We passed by it on our way up two days ago."

"Would you two shut up?!" Knuckles shouted. "It was bad enough to have to deal with your quarreling on the way here, but must you keep going?"

Ashura added, "Shadow passed out after he got us aboard." Ashura grabbed the handle of the door, pushing it open a bit to look out. "Still, something doesn't feel right."

"Yeah," Sonic said. "It seems like they wanted us to come."

"More the reason not to try anything foolish," Shadow said. "For all we know, this could be part of their plan."

Sonic shot Shadow an annoyed look. "Fine," he said. "I'll wait a little longer." He walked over to the opposite side of the room, stopping to recline back against the wall.

Ashura glanced out into the cabin, a worried expression on his face. Something bothered him about one of the scientists. He swore he had seen him before, and when he heard him tell the pilot and Chaos-charged man to stay at the shuttle, he felt his quills stand on end.

"Shadow," Ashura said, quietly shutting the door, "what did you find at that base?"

Before Shadow could answer, there was a loud, blood-curdling scream off in the distance. Everyone turned their attentions to the window Shadow was standing by.

"That was one of the scientists!" Sonic shouted.

Shadow nodded coldly. "Indeed."

"Something's on this planet," Knuckles spoke up from the background.

"Gee, I wonder why?" Sonic replied, trying to sound sarcastic. "It's not like we're on an alien planet or something."

"I was just making a statement!"

"Yeah, whatever Knux," Sonic replied. "Doesn't it make you want to go out and explore?"

"Are you crazy?!" Knuckles shouted. "Something just got one of the scientists! It'll probably get us too!

"C'mon Knuckles, aren't you at least a little excited!"

"No! All I want to do is go home to my island!"

Ashura let the two rivals continue their bickering, walking over to where Shadow was standing. "Has he left yet?"

"No," Shadow said. Ashura looked out of the window, where the strange man stood facing away from them near the end of the shuttle's wing. He had to be around seven or eight feet tall and wore a G.U.N. uniform, though Ashura didn't believe for a second that he was actually part of G.U.N. There was a power emanating from him, one that was similar to the power of the Chaos Emeralds.

The scrawny pilot was standing in front of him, apparently begging him to go and see what had happened. The man was staring straight off in the distance, seemingly ignoring the little man.

"I swear he makes my spine crawl," Shadow said. "He definitely has an emerald or two."

"Agreed," Ashura replied. "And all we have are your Chaos Emerald and my Master Emerald, so I'm not sure how much of a chance we have."

Shadow chuckled to himself, catching Ashura by surprise. "What?" Ashura asked.

"Nothing," Shadow replied, obviously hiding something from him.

Sonic quit his argument with Knuckles, walking over to where the other two hedgehogs were standing. After about a moment of silence, more like a second, he said, "Man, I'm getting sick of standing around and doing nothing."

The three of them stood there, looking out upon the horizon. It wasn't anything overly impressive. The shuttle had been landed in a clearing. The plant-life was what could be expected for an Earth-like planet, with green plants and flowers all around. In the distance was a forest, consisting of what seemed like normal trees. Farther out was what appeared to be rocky hills, far too small and close to be called mountains. However, there was a bright crimson light covering the planet, giving everything an eerie bloodstained feeling.

"Whoa," Sonic said. "This planet gives me the creeps. Reminds me of that haunted castle knockoff Eggman built."

"While that was a rather poor analogy," Shadow said, "I would have to agree."

Suddenly, there was a strange, gunshot-like sound, which was follow by a large energy blast shooting out of the forest in the distance, scaring bird-like creatures out of the trees. The blast was aimed upwards, towards something in the sky.

"What was that?" Sonic said.

The two men's attention was drawn to the descending object, both of the looking up. Ashura followed their gaze, seeing what appeared to be a space shuttle falling towards the planet, the back completely engulfed in flames. The nose of the shuttle was pointed upwards, in an apparent attempt to make a safe landing.

"I didn't think Tails would have been able to get a shuttle ready this fast," Sonic said.

"I don't think that's your friends, Sonic," Shadow said. "There's something about it… like it's more advanced."

They watched the shuttle as it fell towards the forest. It appeared the hit the tops of the trees, rocking from the sudden impact but soon regaining a relative balance. It seemingly slid across the tops of the trees, slowly traveling out of view. After it did, all that could be heard was trees snapping loudly and the hull scratching against various branches and rocks.

An eerie silence soon fell around the shuttle. Sonic, apparently feeling uneasy about this, was the first to speak up, "Hope they're okay."

The two men outside looked off in the direction of where the shuttle had crashed. The taller, Chaos-charged man finally started walking away, heading in that direction.

"Finally," Ashura said. "He's leaving."

There was a sudden loud crash, at which everyone turned their attention to Knuckles, whom had smashed his fists into the crate he had been sitting by. Two gems, similar to the one that Shadow had showed them days earlier, fell out of the crate.

Knuckles removed his fists, pulling out two more. He then laughed to himself, saying, "That's what I thought was in here."

* * *

Zero examined the exterior of the crashed shuttle, with any hope of a quick return slowly vanishing. Smoke billowed from the wrecked machine as fires burned on both inside and outside of the shuttle, threatening to spread to the fallen trees and plants laying along side the shuttle. Behind the shuttle stretched a lengthy path of overturned rocks, broken branches, and burning tree limbs, as well as the remains of the right wing. Dee was running down the path, trying to put out as many of the fires as she could with her axe.

Douglas emerged from the other side, with a disappointed expression on his face. "She's a total lose," he said. "The engine was destroyed during the crash, the thrusters took too much damage when we were shot down, and, as you can see, the right wing is totally gone. There's no point in radioing for help, considering we lost all communication when we passed through that rift."

Zero nodded. "Guess there's only one thing to do; find the Mavericks and capture their shuttle, assuming they haven't destroyed it yet."

"Must I do all the work around here?" Dee said, walking back up the path towards them. "Nice to see that the men still do all the work nowadays."

"Sorry," Zero said. "We were just checking out the damage to the shuttle. Looks like we won't be leaving for awhile."

"Great," Dee replied, sounding quite irritated.

"There's another possibility," Douglas said. "On our way down, I noticed that there was a more crudely designed shuttle sitting in the clearing. It had an extremely high-energy reading emanating from it. Maybe we should check that one out."

"If by 'crudely designed' you mean 'primitive,' it'd probably be best to leave it be," Dee said. "I know there's no Maverick Hunter's code, but we shouldn't mess around with around with the development of primitive cultures. That shuttle might have been sent from another world."

"Perhaps," Zero said, "but then again we don't know what's causing the high-energy reading. We probably should at least monitor it." He turned to Douglas. "Is there any way we can tell where the Mavericks are?"

"Well," Douglas began, "we did detect two Reploid signatures in what appeared to be an old military base just before we were shot down. By my estimates," he pointed to the left of the crash path, towards the forest in the distance, "they should be over there, say, five kilometers." He pointed behind him, stating, "I think the sensors may have taken minimal damage, so I should be able to have it working within the hour. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up their signatures."

Zero nodded. "Alright. We'll start making our trek to the base. You contact us when you've finished you're repairs." He turned around, starting to walk towards the direction Douglas was pointing.

Dee watched Zero as he past her. "What about the fires?"

"We'll put them out as well go," he said coldly. "Right now, I'm more worried about the Mavericks."

"Whatever you say," she said, catching up to him. She slung her axe over her shoulder, keeping in pace with her superior.

They walked along the path for about a half hour, putting out each fire they came across. All this time, not a word was said between them.A rather unsettling silence filled the air, one at which Zero felt would give way any second.

Zero noticed that Dee wasn't the same person that he had just happened to bump into back at the spaceport. The smiling, sunny young Hunter trainee wasn't the same one who had been admiring him like a schoolgirl with a crush. She seemed more depressed and bitter, seemingly dragging her feet and barely keeping up. She was still alert, but she didn't seem like she was looking forward to showing Zero her potential like before. Zero wanted to say something, but he was afraid that he'd say the wrong thing. His little lecture to her back at the spaceport ended up making her seem even more depressed.

The path ended partway into a vast forest, which was make even more treacherous by the inclining slope of the rock and large boulders that stood in the path up to the rocky hills ahead. Almost in the middle of all this flowed a shallow stream, its banks covered by smaller rocks and pebbles, smoothed by the effects of the flowing water.

The forest was almost completely quiet, with the only sounds consisting of birdcalls, leaves rustling, and the water flowing. In some ways it felt rather eerie, as if something waited up ahead. In others, it was peaceful.

Zero stuck with the eerie feel, trying to stay ready for what awaited ahead as they pressed on. He soon reached the top of the hill, with a rather ancient-looking base far at the bottom of the hill. Trees obscured most of it, but it appeared to have an almost triangular shape to it, with a cylinder tower rising up at each point. The roof of the building came to a point at the center, which rose to about the same height as the towers.

At the top was what appeared to be an energy cannon of some type, its rusted appearance making it seem as old as the building. There was some smoke coming from it, and the tip seemed to have been melted by excessive heat. Zero assumed this was the same weapon used to bring down their shuttle, and that the Mavericks had only one shot to do so.

Zero turned around, only to see that Dee was nowhere in sight. He panicked briefly, ducking back down the hill, out of sight of the base. He drew his spare saber, readying it for battle.

He rushed down the way he came, trying to see if there was any sign of a battle. There was none, however. He stopped a moment to breath and think, trying to remember if there was anything unusual.

It soon hit him that he had heard what sounded like a waterfall in the distance some time before he had reached the top. He figured it was a long shot, but considering that there wasn't much else to go on, he went back to where he had first heard it, then followed the sound.

He finally found her, sitting on the edge of a cliff above a shallow ravine, her axe to her side as she reclined back, watching as water flowed over the edge of the high cliff on the other side. The waterfall in front of her wasn't as impressive as Angel Falls or other famous waterfalls, but still quite breathtaking.

"Here you are," Zero said, putting away his saber.

Dee was caught by surprise. "Um… Captain Zero," Dee said, looking back at him, a little embarrassed. "I was going to come back. It's just that I wanted to see what was making this sound…"

"I'm just relieved to see that you're all right," he replied. He noticed that the sadness that he had seen on her face before was seemingly replaced by one of wonder. He laughed to himself. "It's nice to see that you're feeling better."

Dee smiled. "Thanks," she said, sounding reassured. She turned back to the waterfall. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Zero shrugged. "I guess. I'll admit I really don't think I've had time to stop and admire nature."

"It's completely untouched by modern advances," she said. "Most waterfalls have some sort of machine monitoring them, watching for any chemicals that may endanger the life around it. They usually end up obscuring the view and making them lose their natural feeling."

Zero found himself admiring her in this setting. It felt strange that he was starting to fall in love again, even after all this time after Iris' death. He had promised himself never to do so, afraid that the turbulent times they existed in would only lead to heartbreak. And yet, there was something about Dee's spirit…

"What?" Dee said, looking at him, a bewildered expression on her face.

"Um… Nothing," he said, blushing with embarrassment. He cleared his throat, stating professionally, "We really have a duty we need to take care of."

Dee blushed at Zero's reaction. "Alright," she said, getting to her feet. "Let's get going then." She reached down, grabbing her axe off the ground and hoisted it onto her shoulder.

* * *

Nathan trudged onward through the dense forest, reluctantly following his alien captor as Shic followed a strange power source. They had to have been walking for about an hour, and Nathan was completely exhausted. He felt as if Shic was dragging him by a leash.

They had landed about a mile south of what appeared to be a space shuttle used by NASA. Shic had chosen that spot after he detected a strange energy signature coming from the shuttle as they entered orbit. He was curious about the shuttle, wondering how an Earth shuttle had made it all the way out to this area of space. Nathan could tell there was something else, but without being able to sense Shic's emotions, he couldn't be sure.

Nathan's foot hooked onto the root of a tree, causing him to fall onto his hands and knees. He felt sharp pain briefly jolt through his left hand, causing him to gasp. He sat up to examine his hand, seeing an inch-long gash on his hand just below his thump, blood slowly oozing from it.

"C'mon," Shic said. "We don't have to sit around."

Nathan slowly rose to his feet, his limbs aching from fatigue. "Can't we just stop for a second?"

"No," Shic replied flatly. "Now move, before I decide to kill you here."

Nathan sighed, then started moving again, trying to keep pace with Shic. Eventually, they came to the clearing where the shuttle sat seemingly unguarded in the distance. Nathan could barely sense someone inside, their demeanor one of annoyance, apparently irritated at something or someone.

Shic slowly moved out of the woods, far enough for someone looking in their direction to see him. He whispered back, "Does anyone see me?"

Nathan focused back on the shuttle, sensing for any change. He then shook his head.

Shic turned his attention back to the shuttle. "Good," he said quietly. "This should hopefully be easy." He slowly began to make his trek towards the shuttle. He pointed back to Nathan, solidly stating, "Stay here."

Nathan climbed out of the forest. He looked around the landscape, looking for something to lean against. Noting that there was nothing except for some trees, he practically collapsed to the ground, his body giving way.

He laid on the ground for about five minutes, the grass underneath him feeling rather comfortable, almost making him want to take a nap. He stared up into the sky, which was filled with the reddish hue from the strange nebula in the distance. The clouds were colored a near crimson red, appearing like they were blood drops in the sky. This thought made Nathan cringe, as if he knew something wasn't right about all this.

Then he felt a change in emotion from the shuttle. The occupant's emotions had become something of alarm, like if Shic had been noticed. He sat up, glancing quickly over to the shuttle, where Shic was standing near the door, about to enter. His demeanor hadn't change, still appearing overconfident about the whole situation. Nathan found himself hoping that Shic would be the one caught off-guard.

He slowly, almost unwillingly, rose to his feet, anticipating a fight. However, the occupant's emotions were those of panic, apparently not ready for a fight. As Shic vanished into the shuttle, he felt another shift in emotions, like a sudden hit of intuition.

There was a loud explosion, an energy blast shooting through the back of the shuttle. Nathan sensed the occupant's presence was gone, but it didn't feel like he had died, just as he disappeared. He felt a strong source of energy approaching his position, which he suspected was probably them.

A sudden blinding green light appeared almost directly in front of him, forcing him to shield his eyes. When it dimmed, he saw a strange red dreadlocked creature standing a little over four feet tall in front of him, a small blue gem in one spike-knuckled hand, and a much larger green diamond-shaped one standing on the ground next to him. It soon collapsed to its knees, apparently exhausted from its teleport. "I'm surprised that worked…" he said in a gruff-sounding voice.

Nathan stumbled backwards in surprise. "You're… an alien?!"

The creature glared at him briefly. "What do you mean 'alien?!'" he shouted, shaking off the fatigue. "Don't you know who I am? I'm Knuckles!"

Nathan just looked at him with a bewildered expression.

Knuckles clenched his teeth, annoyed at his reaction. However, he glared back towards the shuttle, seeing Shic slowly approaching them in a self-confident attitude. "I'll explain it to you later, just don't steal that Emerald!"

Knuckles started walking towards Shic, stretching his arms as he approached. When he was about a good twelve yards away, Knuckle made a full-speed dash at Shic, catching the alien off-guard with his near-inhuman speed. Knuckles leapt into the air, trying to land a punch at Shic's face. However, Shic sidestepped the attack, forcing Knuckles to land off-balance.

"Shoot!" Knuckles shouted, turning sharply as to not leave his back unprotected. Shic was only a foot away, prepared for Knuckles next attack. Knuckles dodged around, trying to find an opening. Seeing what he thought was one, he came in from the side, trying to land a couple of punches at Shic's midsection.

Shic instead caught Knuckles by the wrist, and with seemingly little effort, tossed him ten feet straight up into the air. He then pointed his left arm upward with his right hand on his wrist, creating the same glowing energy sphere that Nathan had apparently survived back at the McKinney place. Knuckles saw this, and went into some sort of glide, catching the air as he fell. He stayed in the air much longer than either Nathan or Shic anticipated, slowly floating downwards.

Shic fired his shot, which Knuckles was able to dodge. Trying to catch Shic by surprise, Knuckles spiraled straight down, his spiked fists acting as a virtual drill. Shic reacted accordingly, dodging out of the way as Knuckles fell. Just before Knuckle actually reached the ground, Shic spun around, connecting his heel into Knuckles' stomach, sending him reeling into a nearby boulder, crashing upside down against it.

Knuckles slid down, landing on his head. He quickly stood up, shaking off any fatigue that had hit him. Knuckles wiped the side of his mouth with his spiked glove, looking briefly at the blood that had transferred to it. "Why… I haven't even hit you…"

Nathan sensed that he had a feeling of defeat, like he had put just about all the strength he could into the fight, and yet was coming up on the losing end. He sensed hopelessness, but still a sense of determination and duty. Nathan knew that if he didn't do something, Knuckles would most likely die. He glanced over to the Emerald, wondering what there was about it that made it so dangerous…

He heard Shic say to Knuckles in a smug manner, "Is that all you have? You're no more entertaining than those humans back on Earth."

Knuckles stared at his, fatigue clearly starting to set in. "What are you talking about? You think I'm some sort of alien too?"

Shic laughed at him, an amused expression on his face. "Why, what are YOU talking about? Aren't you from some other planet? I don't recognize your race at all!"

"No," Knuckles replied. "I'm from Earth."

Nathan was a little surprised at Knuckles response. He had never seen anything like Knuckles on his planet before, but Knuckles had been surprised at his reaction when he first saw him.

Shic looked up to crimson rift that lit the planet up in a bloody glow. "Well, well," he said, "isn't THAT a revelation? Too bad I'll have to kill you and take your beloved 'Emerald' from you. As much as I'd like to explore this discovery, I really do have better things to be doing with my time."

Knuckles stood up, gathering as much strength as he could. "Fine then," he said. "I don't care if I have to die, as long as you don't get you're hands on the Emerald." Nathan sensed burning determination in Knuckles, as if he had one more trick up his sleeve.

Knuckles leapt over the boulder, making it first look like he was going to use it as someplace to hide. However, the boulder began to rise as he slowly lifted it above his head, preparing to throw it. From the way it looked to Nathan, it wasn't aimed at Shic, but at…

"Move!" Knuckles shouted to Nathan, chucking the boulder at the Master Emerald as hard as he could. Nathan quickly dodged to the left, covering his head as to protect himself from falling debris.

"I don't think so!" Shic shouted. There was a loud explosion, then the sound of rocks landing on the ground around Nathan, as well as the Emerald. A layer of dust soon covered him, as several of the rocks landed on him, some of them with sharp edges that scratched the flesh of his hands.

He looked up to see Shic's palm pointed at a spot somewhere between Knuckles and the Emerald. Dust still hovered in the air from the explosion. Rocks were scattered all around. However, the Emerald was still in one piece.

"Damn," Knuckles said, trying his hardest to stay on his feet. "You're going to make me fight this out, aren't you?" He stood straight up, trying to shake the fatigue off that was slowly taking hold. He dashed at Shic, completely unfocused at the task ahead. Shic sidestepped, then caught Knuckles by the arm, tossing him like a rag doll.

Knuckles landed on his stomach just feet from where Nathan was laying. He slowly got to his hands and knees, coughing up blood. He weakly glanced over to Nathan, then said in a low voice "I'll stall him. You have to find some way to either escape with or destroy the Emerald. You CAN'T let it fall into his hands."

Nathan looked at Knuckles, not sure what to do. He was afraid, afraid that Knuckles would end up getting killed, or that Shic would try to kill him if he did anything against him. But, he sensed that Knuckles was more afraid at what Shic would do if he had the Emerald in his possession. Reluctantly, he nodded.

Knuckles, managing a smile, slowly rose to his feet. He turned to face Shic, ready to do battle one last time if he had to. "C'mon," he muttered. "Let's end this."

Nathan got to his feet as Knuckles dashed at Shic, the mysterious red creature ready to go out in a kamikaze fashion. He slowly walked over to the Emerald, trying his best not to watch Knuckles being beaten. He quickly studied the Emerald, making the visual determination that he couldn't run with it. However, it didn't appear like it was that strong, like if it was some form of reinforced glass. He looked around for something that might shatter it.

When he did, however, he saw Knuckles fall to the ground in front of Shic, finally succumbing to exhaustion. Shic held out his hand, light gathering in his palm.

In an act of desperation, Nathan clasped his hands into a club, and with one quick motion, brought them down as hard as he could on the Emerald. Pain shot through his arms, and he swore he felt the bones of his upper arm crack under the pressure. He glanced down at the Emerald, seeing that somehow he managed to crack it.

Shic looked up, realizing that Knuckles' assault had been a ruse. "Nathan!" he shouted, pointing his hand towards him, the light still forming. "Stop right now!"

Nathan ignored the threat to his life, determined to finish what he started. He knew that either way, between Shic blasting him and him shattering the Emerald with his bare hands, that he'd be lucky if he survived. He raised his arms above his head, shutting his eyes tightly in anticipation of the pain that was to come…

He slammed his arms down on the Emerald. They made a loud, gut wrenching snap, and pain soon filled both his arms up to his shoulders. He swore he felt the air blowing against his bones as blood rushed out. He began to feel a little light headed, but more alarmingly, he felt that he could no longer move his arms.

He let out a blood-curdling scream as he opened his eyes. His arms hung in a grotesque fashion as blood dripped away rapidly through the arms of his shirt, his flesh being the only thing that kept them attached to his body. He soon collapsed face first from the overwhelming pain, futilely trying to brace himself with his arms. He felt the taste of blood is his mouth, which he instinctively gagged at. As he lay there, he soon realized something that made him breath a sigh of relief: the Emerald was no longer there.

A new light glowed above him, filling the air with a greenish glow that hardly overwhelmed the red. He was in too much pain to move from his spot, but he wondered if it was the Emerald, or, at the very least, the essence of the Emerald. It stayed there for what felt like an eternity, then, with a blink of the eye, scattered in every direction.

He heard Shic mutter something, then felt a pain in his side. He guessed that Shic had just kicked him, but the pain from his arms, as well as the rapid loss of blood, made it feel like a mere thud. He then heard him say, "It'd be a waste of time to even try to kill you. The most I can do is let you suffer through this. Once everything's said and done, I highly doubt you'll be able to use your precious limbs again."

Shic apparently walked off, leaving Nathan to suffer. After several minutes, he sensed someone approaching him. He opened his eyes, seeing Knuckles kneeling down to look at him, a disturbed expression on his face. Nathan managed a smile, saying weakly, "I did it."

Knuckles smiled back. "Good. Now relax and try not to move. I'll get help here as fast as I can."

Nathan closed his eyes, soon becoming unconscious.

* * *

Ashura rushed to where Shadow had found the charred remains of one of the scientists. He desperately needed to know if it was who he thought it was, and if there was any connection to his past. He felt uneasy, and he had the nagging suspicion that the past had come back to haunt him.

Sometime after they had heard the scream from one of the scientists, they, they being everyone but Knuckles, had decided to split up and explore the alien world they had landed on. They divided the "Chaos Gems" as Sonic dubbed them up between them, with Sonic, Ashura, and Knuckles each getting two while leaving Shadow with the seventh Gem – the one he had found back at the base. After that, they handed out some hand-held radios that where in the cargo bay and all headed northwards, Sonic heading northeast, Shadow heading north, and Ashura heading northwest.

It didn't take long for them to find something interesting, be it in a good light or a bad one. Sonic had been the first to discover the ruins of a city, one that appeared advanced yet simple, built with stones and clay but with indication that more advanced technology had been there at one time. Ashura found something similar, except it seemed more like a vast city that didn't destroy their trees, either relocating them or building around them. Some buildings even had the roots of the tree implanted in the sides that Ashura wondered why the buildings hadn't crumbled.

Shadow was the one to discover the scientist's body, or at least what was left. He didn't go into horrific details, just stating that the body was charred just to the point that all the details remained. There were several large metal needles in the body, each at a point where the victim would have been incapacitated rather than killed. When Shadow said he tried to remove one, he received a strong shock but not enough to kill. He speculated that the killer was able to produce electricity and was probably not human… or anything natural for that matter.

After Shadow's report, Ashura had taken off in that direction. He felt like he was just about there when Knuckles' voice broke over the hand-held radio, "Everyone… get back to the shuttle… quickly…"

Ashura slowed down, switching to a jogging pace. He felt a brief spark of angry dwell up inside of him. _That useless echidna_, he thought.

"Knuckles?!" he heard Sonic reply. "What happened? You don't sound so good…"

"There's no time to explain," Knuckles replied. "You'll know when you get here."

Something in the sky caught Ashura's attention, something that made him shutter. When he glanced up, he saw a number of small, green dots traveling at high speed through the trees above. One crashed into one of the trees, revealing that it was what Ashura had feared.

"Dammit!" he shouted. He quickly pressed the speak button on the radio, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Knuckles, how dare you shatter my Emerald! I knew—"

"I suggest," he heard Shadow interrupt, "that you get back here before you pass your judgment." The way Shadow put it was cold as usual, but there was a just a hint of something else in his voice: horror. It made Ashura's spines stick on end, making him afraid of what he might find.

"I'll be there in a sonic second," Ashura heard Sonic say, not at all casual and overconfident like he knew his brother to be. Did Sonic pick up on it too?

"I'm on my way," Ashura said. "Just give me a moment." He released the speak button, then glanced back up at the shard. He closed his eyes, focusing his will into the arm that was not holding the radio. He then focused it even further, condensing it into a ball of blue energy in the palm of that hand.

He opened his eyes, focusing his aim on the trunk of the tree. With one quick motion, he hurled the ball at top speed towards the tree. It connected, the impact being enough to topple it, collapsing away from Ashura. Once the tree had stopped moving, he leapt onto the trunk, rushing forwards while keeping near perfect balance, and pulled the shard out of the hole it made.

Once he had accomplished that, he jumped off, stopping a moment to take a look at his surroundings. He remembered that he had heading northeast last, trying to reach where Shadow had been. If he guessed correctly, all he had to do was head south and he should be in the clearing where they had landed within a couple minutes if he traveled at full speed.

He was about to take off when he heard the painful moans of someone close, perhaps only on the other side of the toppled tree. He turned around, leaping up and over the tree. He hadn't seen anyone when he had recovered the shard, so he decided he had better have a very quick look around.

"Ashura…" he heard Sonic say, with a hint of desperation in his voice. "We really could use your help."

Ashura brought the radio closer to his mouth, about to speak. However, he heard someone chuckle weakly, most likely behind some nearby bushes. He looked over in that direction, seeing a small pool of blood at the base of one of them.

"Stand by," he replied. He walked around the bush, soon seeing the source of the blood. A man lay behind the bush, almost near death. His entire right arm was gone, as was his lower torso. Blood was pooling all around him.

The man looked up at Ashura weakly. "Ha," he said weakly. "So, you still go by the name 'Ashura?'"

"It was the only name I remembered for the longest time," Ashura said coldly. "Professor Gadsworth,"

"I'm glad you actually remembered my name."

Ashura laughed. "Like I'd dignify you with the name we gave you." Ashura glared at him, some old hatred blazing in his eyes. "I thought I recognized you and your voice when you left the shuttle. I was really hoping you were dead."

"Disappointed, aren't you?" Gadsworth laughed weakly. "Not all of the people connected to the Project died Ashura; we're just a couple, which is exactly why we came for you."

Ashura gave him an angry look. "Why? Who told you I was still alive?!"

Gadsworth coughed, trying to clear the blood out of his throat, before continuing. "Let's just say someone's been watching you from the shadows. Once we found out about you, we began to make new plans… recreating the Project, with you being the key."

"Recreating the Project?" Ashura said, worry starting to grow. "That's what this is all about? Bringing back your damned slaughter camp?"

It was clear there wasn't much time for the Professor to tell him what he wanted to know. However, with whatever strength he had, he continued weakly, "Yes, we only went after the echidna's Emerald so that it would… end up being placed on your Island. We knew that if we took your's you'd follow, but… we didn't want to risk the Island. We had expected Sonic and maybe the echidna to follow, but the product of Project Shadow…"

Death was setting in faster than Ashura had hoped. "So you're saying this whole thing was a ruse to capture me?"

"Yes… We charged one of our old followers with the Chaos energy in hope of beating you in close combat. However… as you can see, curiosity got the best of us…"

Ashura was about to ask one more question, but Sonic's voice rang over the radio, desperately shouting, "Ashura! We need you to get back here NOW!"

Ashura sighed, realizing there was no more time to question the Professor. He turned, walking off in the direction of the shuttle. He briefly turned to look over his shoulder at the dying man, stating coldly, "Farewell, Professor. I hope you rot in Hell."

* * *

Zero and Dee had managed to track down one the Mavericks about a kilometer south of the base. When they found him, he was in what appeared to be some kind of sink holes. The minimum distance between the ledge above to the ground below was probably around five meters, and it became steeper nearer to the center. In the very center was a shallow pool of water.

The Maverick was what appeared to be designed to resemble a dinosaur, or, more exactly, a Velociraptor. He was facing away from them, apparently gnawing on sometime. His feet and arms were stained with blood, so it was pretty apparent that he had killed something.

Dee whispered to Zero, "I don't recall this Maverick being listed in any of the records…"  
The Maverick's head rose up, catching everything Dee said. "Of course Raptor not…" it said in a rather primitive sounding voice. He slowly turned his head, looking up at the two Maverick Hunters. His entire face was covered by blood, though none of it obscured the seal on his forehead

"So, you're one of Sigma's troops?" Zero said coldly.

The Maverick bobbed his head. "Yes," he hissed, slowly turning around to face them. In his right claw, he held way appear to be a human arm, mostly gnawed apart. "Raptor called Pillaging Raptor, one of Sigma's newest 'recruits.'"

"In other words," Zero said, ignoring the limb in Raptor's claw you're like Split Mushroom and Dizzy Dark, a Maverick that Sigma designed himself."

Raptor bobbed his head again. "Yes. Raptor's purpose very simple: Raptor get closer look at rift, then report to Sigma, see if anything worth his attention. At first, nothing, but after we land, and before you arrive, another shuttle emerge from rift."

"The one that was in the clearing," Dee said, her expression pale from Raptor's apparent atrocity.

Raptor once again bobbed he head. "Yes. It had very… unique energy signature. Because of they, we decide to be cautious; didn't want to be caught off-guard." Raptor shook the detached limb at the Hunters. "Surprising, the crew of the shuttle were humans. For sport, we hunt them down, make sure they didn't survive." He dropped the limb, continuing, "But, because of arrogance, we waste time… Now, Raptor imagine its time for you to retire Raptor."

Zero drew his saber. "You bet. And considering you're out-numbered and alone, you don't have a prayer."

"Raptor see…" Raptor looked briefly at Dee, then smiled insidiously. "Unfortunately, there be three Mavericks that you end up fighting."

Dee looked startled at this statement. "What?"

Raptor chuckled. "You see, all this time, Raptor been spreading new form of the Virus. While Raptor sure Zero immune, Raptor doubt Miss Dee can withstand it. In the end, she stab you in the back."

Zero glanced over to Dee, who's expression had paled. "You're lying!" he snapped.

Raptor chuckled again. "You think so? Why don't you fight Raptor and find out!"

Zero looked back over to Dee. "I'll handle this myself," he said reassuringly. "You stay out of the way. If he is telling the truth," he turned his attention back to Raptor, trying not to look her in the eyes, "you know what to do."

Zero leapt down, preparing to do combat with Raptor. However, he didn't anticipate his opponent's speed, spotting Raptor nearly on top of him, attempting to pounce on Zero with his toe-blades. Zero put his arm up, taking damage to his right arm and dropping his saber, but avoiding any serious damage.

"Slow," Raptor snarled. "How you expect to beat Raptor then?" He dashed forwards, his mouth wide open, exposing the bloodstained knives he had for teeth.

"You're all talk," Zero said, blocking with his already damaged arm. Raptor latched onto, the blades of his teeth digging deep into the circuitry, making Zero flinch in pain. However, Raptor was already wide-open for a counter attack, which Zero promptly administered, pointing his left arm, with his Z-Buster activated, directed at Raptor's chest.

Raptor noticed this, but was stuck on Zero's armor to escape quickly. The blast hammered him hard, ripping through some the metal of his armor. It knocked him backwards, nearly ripping Zero's arm off from the wrist down.

"You right," Raptor said, spitting out a few of his damaged teeth. "Raptor cocky. Maybe distance game would serve better." He slashed his arms along the ground, creating a wave of energy that traveled along, cutting a path.

Zero thrust his saber forward, creating a huge blast of electricity as he executed his Hadangeki attack, which more than canceled Raptor's blade beam, catching him completely by surprised and flying into the back wall. "You forget," Zero said as Raptor collected himself, "that I can also play the range game."

Raptor blindly lunged forward, trying to catch Zero with his knifed mouth. Zero slashed at him horizontally, completely cutting the tips of each blade short, as well as slashing Raptor's synthetic tongue in half, his immediate reaction being a ghastly shriek.

Raptor leapt backward, spitting out the upper half of his tongue. "Damn," he muttered. "You as good as Sigma say."

"Enough talk," Zero said, pointing his saber at him. "Let's finish this."

"Nah," Raptor replied. "Raptor try to hold out."

Zero dashed forwards, taking a slash as he did. Raptor leapt over, trying to pounce on him. Zero dodged out of the way, slicing as Raptor fell, resulting in a huge gash in Raptor's leg armor.

Raptor swung his tail at Zero, which Zero ended up grabbing. With one hand, Zero tossed Raptor into the wall behind him, taking a couple of shots at him with his Z-Buster, both connecting as Raptor hit the wall.

The impact put a crater in the wall. Raptor fell to the ground, a pile of rocks falling with him and covering him. Zero knew it was too soon to assume he had defeated Raptor, so he slowly walked over to the pile.

Raptor lunged out, trying to once again catch Zero by surprise. Zero was more than ready, and impaled him with his saber. Zero didn't completely escape injury, as Raptor managed to cut a couple of deep gashes into his shoulders.

They stood there for some time, glaring at each other. Eventually, the life seemed to drain from Raptor's eyes. Satisfied with his apparent victory, Zero deactivated his saber, letting Raptor's limp body fall to the ground.

"Captain!" he heard Dee cheer from the ledge above. He turned to see her, smiling at him.

"Call me Zero, alright?" he responded. "Any ill effects?"

She shook her head. "No, I feel fine. I think he was only bluffing."

Zero nodded. "Alright. We should go hunt the other one down."

He had begun walking back to where Dee was standing on the ledge above when he noticed a sudden change in her expression. "Zero!" she shouted, pointing to where Raptor was laying.

There was a sudden bright green flash, lighting up everything around him. He quickly turned around as the light dimmed. "What?!" he said, as he gaped in disbelief at what stood behind him.

Pillaging Raptor was once again standing, a dim green aura surrounding him, while he held a green gem shard in his claw. His stance was one that seemed rather feral in nature, his eyes carrying an empty crazed look. He seemed to be smiling at Zero with a maniacal expression.

Raptor laughed. "It good thing Raptor had backup." He held out his claw with the shard in it, pointing it towards Zero. "Raptor not mention Raptor found number of these. Not sure what they are, but what a rush! Raptor can feel power pulsing through, one that Raptor never felt before. Raptor feel the power to destroy you… and entire planet!"

Raptor seemingly absorbed the shard that he had, then lunged forward at an incredible speed, one that Zero hadn't been ready for. Zero tried to leap out of the way, but found Raptor's claws digging into his leg. With one quick gesture, he found himself tossed into a nearby wall, putting a crater of his own in it.

Zero hit the ground and quickly leapt to his feet, ready to counter attack. However, he couldn't see Raptor anywhere, though he felt an immense power surge nearby. This surge soon transformed into Raptor, using blinding speed to catch Zero totally by surprise.

Zero put his arms up, trying his best to block the incoming attack. He soon felt pain shooting through his already damaged right arm. Sparks began shooting out of the huge gashes, the cuts going so deep that he lost any use of his right arm from the elbow down.

Zero tried to counter attack with his left arm, but ended up missing, his saber merely slicing through an illusion. Raptor reappeared in that same exact spot, delivering a head butt to the damaged Hunter, the concussive force knocking Zero's head back into the wall behind him and cracking the blue triangular jewel on his helmet.

Pain shot through Zero's midsection as Raptor stabbed him in the stomach with his clawed hand. Zero could tell the damage was severe, but just missed the fusion tank. Zero tried to slice at Raptor again, but Raptor blocked him with his is open claw.

"Zero!" he heard Dee cry from above.

Raptor laughed, looking him straight in the eyes. "How it feel to be losing to low-level Sigma pawn, Hunter?"

"Dammit," Zero groaned, "I can't die yet. Not here."

"Sorry," Raptor said, "but retirement come for you. How—"

Raptor suddenly disappeared, removing his claw for Zero at near impossible speed. Zero suddenly saw Dee dropped down in front of him, her axe slicing vertically, cutting a shallow grove into the ground. "Shit!" she muttered as she landed. She looked around, trying to figure out where her opponent went.

Raptor seemingly materialized on the other side of the pit. "Raptor torment further, but just receive call from subordinate; someone Raptor should meet." His craws started glowing with energy. With is quick motion, he sliced the ground, creating a huge wave of energy that torn the ground apart as it traveled slowly towards them.

Zero was too weak to move. "Looks like I'm finished," he said to Dee. She looked back at him, fear and sadness on her face. "When you see X next, tell him he's on his own…"

A determined expression appeared on Dee's face as tears started rolling down her cheeks. Without a word, she stabbed her axe down into the ground. The blade started glowing, creating a field of energy in front of them. "Even if this doesn't stop the wave," she said, "it should save you."

"Dee, forget me! Save yourself!"

"Sorry," she said, "but if I indeed go Maverick, I don't want to fight you in the future." She paused, the wave of energy just inches away from them. "Farewell…"

Zero saw the wave hit her at full force. There was a brief, bright flash, then everything went dark.

* * *

Ashura reached the clearing where the shuttle had landed within minutes of his last contact with Sonic. At first, he didn't see anything that seemed out of the ordinary with the exception of Knuckles sitting on the ground, leaning back upon the shuttle as he rested. After studying his surroundings for a matter of seconds, he realized that there was more wrong with this picture.

He noticed Sonic pacing in the distance, with what appeared to be some sort of tent set up nearby. "Sonic!"

Sonic looked over in the direction Ashura was coming from. He waved, and shouted, "Ashura! Come over here!"

There was something unsettling about Sonic's demeanor, the usual upbeat personality replaced by something less welcoming. Ashura rushed over at his top speed, worried about what could cause such a sudden change. It didn't take long for him to find out what.

A human boy was lying on his stomach, his face turned to the left, covered by a blanket that someone had taken out of the shuttle. Ashura could barely see his right arm, but it was sitting in an unnatural position. His skin was pale, possibly from a massive loss of blood. The "tent" that was set up around him was actually monitoring equipment, keeping tabs on his vitals, which were just barely above critical.

"What happened?" Ashura said, feeling his face pale.

"Dunno," Sonic said. "But from what Knuckles told Shadow, HE'S the one who shattered the Emerald."

Ashura glanced at the boy's limb body, noticing a brief shiver. "HE did what? How? Just who is he?"

"Nathan's apparently his name," Sonic said. "We don't know how he got here, but our guess is that he came with whoever wanted the Emerald."

Ashura walked over, then knelt down next to him. He lifted the edge of the blanket up, seeing for himself the extent of the boy's injuries. He felt his face pale at the gruesome sight, but also noticed that the bleeding apparently had stopped. "Did anyone try to stop his bleeding?" he asked, slowly putting the blanket down.

Sonic nodded. "Knuckles tried to, considering his condition. Whatever he couldn't do, Shadow did, though, from what he said, he didn't know if he could do anything about his arms." Sonic paused, then, apparently noting Shadow's absence, added, "Shadow took off looking for the Emerald Shards. He says that, even if it sounds cold, that recovering the Master Emerald should be top priority." Sonic then looked at Nathan, saying, "I couldn't just leave him here alone like this."

Ashura sighed. "That's alright. I think I'd do the same thing." He stood up, looking off in the distance. "It'd be best if one of stays here anyways, just in case he wakes up. The last thing he should have to experience is dying alone."

"Ashura," Sonic said, surprised and disturbed to hear him say something like that, "you're not saying-"

"I don't think there's anything either one of us can do," Ashura said coldly. He sighed, closing his eyes. Was that true? Was there nothing he could do?

Sonic sighed, a look of hopelessness crossing his face. "Fine, I'll stay here. When Knuckles comes to, I'll send him out looking for the shards as well."

Ashura nodded, then took off. He didn't know why he decided to let Sonic stay. He wondered if the encounter with the Professor had made him not want to be around death.

Sonic continued pacing, uncertain on what he should do. He felt so awkward by this whole situation, and about how everyone had been acting. On top of that, he was angry at himself, for being so excited to explore this alien world and not worrying about the safety of the Emerald. Now, Knuckles was beaten to a near pulp, and Nathan, a kid that he never met before who put his life on the line to protect the Emerald, was now barely hanging onto life.

He heard a quiet moan, which snapped his attention back to reality. He looked over to where Shadow had set up the monitoring equipment, noting that Nathan's eyes were open, his stare was rather vacant. Nathan appeared to try to get up, but quickly stopped due to the lack of strength in his body.

"Hey," Sonic said, rushing over to his side, "you shouldn't move in your condition; you might end up hurting yourself more."

Nathan did his best to look up at Sonic. "Like that matters," he said weakly.

Sonic smiled weakly. "Yeah, guess you're right."

Nathan smiled back. "You know, you shouldn't blame yourself for this. Its not your fault."

Sonic looked at him surprised. "How'd you know that?"

"I sensed it," Nathan replied. "I guess you could say I'm a bit of a telepath… well, Shic would probably put it that I'm an empath…"

"I see," Sonic said. He sat down, trying to give Nathan some company. "This Shic… was he the guy who beat up Knuckles?"

Nathan nodded weakly. "Yeah. He kidnapped me from Earth… well, MY Earth. I'm not exactly sure why." Nathan shivered a little, then muttered, "I feel so cold…"

"You lost a lot of blood," Sonic replied. "Knuckles and Shadow tried their best to stop it, though they weren't able to do anything about your arms."

"I know… I can't move them…" Nathan paused, staring blankly at the ground. "Am I… going to die?"

Sonic's immediate response would have been to say that he wouldn't, but he know that Nathan would simply see through the lie. "I wish I could say."

Nathan smiled weakly. "That's alright." He paused, his mind thinking of something. "All I really wish is to know she's okay…"

"Who's okay?" Sonic asked, trying to keep Nathan with it. However, he noticed that Nathan's stare had gone totally vacant, and that it appeared that he had stopped breathing. "No…"

Sonic panicked, not sure about what to do. He swore he could feel tears welling up in his eyes as he grabbed for his radio. "Ashura, Shadow… I think he's going…" Sonic quickly scanned the monitoring equipment, noticing that he hadn't flat-lined yet.

"Sonic…" he heard Shadow say, trying to reassure him. "There's nothing you can do…"

Sonic suddenly felt a warm, reassuring hand on his shoulder, and then heard a woman's voice softly say, "Maybe there's something I can do…"

* * *

Zero walked back down the path to the shuttle, staring blankly down at the ground, an expression of disgrace and sadness on his face. His auto repair systems had managed to repair most of the severe damage to Zero's internal systems, but the external damage would take longer to repair… as well as his will to fight.

When he had come to, he found Dee, or what was left of Dee, lying on top of him. The blast managed to destroy practically everything below her chest, as well as ruptured her fusion tank, making any real hope of repair impossible. Somehow, her axe had managed to survive the blast, though it was severely scorched.

Zero had taken her to the waterfall that she had been admiring, placing her remains almost directly underneath the rushing water, allowing her to have some peace. He figured that this would have probably been what she wanted.

He was afraid something like this was going to happen. He felt as if part of him had died, the same feeling he had when he was forced to destroy Iris so long ago. He was angry at himself and enraged at Sigma, but he felt that most of his will was gone, no longer wanting to fight this damned war.

Douglas saw Zero walking towards the shuttle and waved to him. There was a grim expression on his face as well, as if he knew what had happened.

"You all right?" Douglas asked, trying to sound supportive.

"Yeah," Zero lied. He just looked blankly away, his mind looking back at the battle.

"I'm sorry I couldn't have been any help back there. I managed to fix the sensors, but the Mavericks had placed some kind of jamming field around the area. I couldn't get through."

There was a bit of an uneasy silence between them. Finally, Zero said, "Its not you're fault. I got cocky and tried to take out Raptor on my own, not knowing what tricks he had up his sleeve." He looked back down the path, thinking about those weird shards that Raptor had held out like some spoiled child. "I really would like to know what that was he used to best us…"

"You mean this?" Douglas said, catching Zero's attention. Zero looked over to see Douglas holding up a green gem shard like Raptor had.

"Where'd you get that?"

"It fell a few meters from here," Douglas said. "I had to go out of my way to retrieve it. I haven't quite figured out what it is, though my guess is that its part of whatever we detected back at that clearing."

Zero took it from Douglas and examined it for himself. To the observer, it just seemed like a broken piece of transparent stone. However, he felt a strange power pulsing from it, one that he knew he could use.

"Incredible," Zero muttered. "If we could get more of these, we may have a chance to stop Raptor… or even Sigma for that matter."

Douglas nodded with a concerned look on his face. "Perhaps. But the same could be said for us Maverick Hunters, and even the entire Reploid and human population if these were to fall in the wrong hands."

Zero sighed. "You're right. Guess I'm too concerned with trying to find some way to get revenge for what he did to Dee." He handed the shard back to Douglas. "So the next order of business is to recover as many of these shards as we can before the Mavericks do, fight them for the rest, then find some way of destroying them."

Douglas nodded. "Precisely." He walked into the shuttle, saying from inside, "And the nearest shards located…" There was a pause, after which Douglas added, "Oh dear…"

"What?!" Zero said. "Is it one of the Mavericks?!"

"I can't say, but there's a large concentration of energy approaching us fast!"

Zero felt a strong energy surge coming from the edge of the forest in the distance, making him reach back for his saber. The rate it was approaching made him believe that it was without a doubt Raptor, but instead of feeling rage at this, he found himself feeling a sense of hopelessness. It was if he knew there was no way he could win.

He tried his best to shake off this feeling, trying to stay focused to the task at hand. He glanced back, looking to see if Douglas had left the shard where he could get at it.

He quickly turned his attention back to the oncoming threat, which felt like it was just in front of him. However, as was quiet surprised, and a little relieved, to see that it wasn't Raptor, but a short green and black furred creature standing about a meter tall coming to a halt meters away. The expression on the creature's face echoed his, though it to be more determined.

The creature pointed the end of a metal staff at Zero. "Who are you?!" he shouted.

Zero saw that the creature was ready for a battle, one, which he wasn't sure he could win. "My name is Zero," he said diplomatically, keeping his hand ready to draw his saber if needed. "I'm a Reploid working for the Maverick Hunters on the planet of Earth."

"Earth?!" the creature said. "You're lying. I've never heard of Reploids or the

Maverick Hunters!"

"What are you talking about? I've never seen anything like you on Earth before." Zero gripped his saber even tighter, knowing that his attempt at diplomacy was going nowhere. "Just what are you anyways?"

"I'm a member of the Hedgehog race. They call me Ashura."

Zero laughed bitterly. "You must be one badly mutated hedgehog to be wandering around like that." Zero glared at him. "So then, what is it you're after?"

"I want that Emerald shard you have in your shuttle," Ashura said, being to the point.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid I want the one's you have. There's a Maverick on this planet who took someone from me with some of those shards, so I need them to retire him."

"I don't believe you." Ashura tightened his grip on his staff, obviously preparing to strike.

"Then this is getting nowhere." Zero drew his saber, taking up a defensive stance. "Shall we get this over with?"

Zero knew that this would end up being another one-sided fight. Ashura's first move had been a rushing attack, aiming the tip of his staff at Zero's midsection. The speed of the attack was more than Zero imagined, and he barely managed to avoid it.

Against a robotic opponent who was standing directly in front of him, his normal course of action would be to try slashing. He did just that against Ashura, but in mid swing realized that he'd most like end up killing the green creature. He ended up aiming a lot higher with his saber, not even grazing the top of Ashura's top spine.

Ashura looked a little puzzled, but without hesitation hammered Zero's chin with the metal staff, catching him off-guard but failing to knock him off-balance. Realizing that there weren't too many moves he had against a non-robotic enemy, Zero tried more physical attacks, spinning around while trying to backhand Ashura. However, Ashura dodged it with ease, using his awkward size and incredible speed to his advantage. Frustrated, Zero spun back around, trying to hit Ashura with a high roundhouse kick, which was dodged as well.

Ashura was still practically in front of him, and used Zero's unbalanced stance to his advantage. With surprising strength, he swung his staff at Zero's leg, managing to completely throw him off-balance and sending him crashing to the ground.

As soon as he hit the ground, Zero saw Ashura in the air above him, trying once again the land a hit at Zero's stomach with his staff. He caught it in midair, and tried to hurl the staff in away with Ashura still clinging to it. However, he found the throw too easy, soon seeing Ashura land nearby unarmed.

Zero quickly rose to his feet, only to be practically knocked back down, feeling something heavy hit his chest. He looked over to see Ashura standing off in the distance, holding what appeared to be a blue ball of light in his right hand. Ashura then quickly pitched it, Zero managing to dodge out of the way in time. As soon as he looked back up, he saw that Ashura was charging yet another ball of blue energy.

Zero soon realized that the hedgehog had changed his strategy and was now attacking from a distance. He activated his damaged Z-Buster, hoping that it didn't pack quite the punch as it had before. With Ashura in his sights, he fired one quick shot. When Ashura dodged that blast, he fired another, hoping that he'd hit him.

But Ashura was way too fast. Zero had barely enough time to blink before receiving another one of Ashura's energy spheres, this time hitting him squaring in the face, and after that, saw the blur of Ashura's blue shoe connect with his jaw, the kick so surprisingly powerful that it knocked Zero away, landing face down on the ground.

Zero looked up to see Ashura pointing his palm at his face, a burning sphere of what looked like fire growing in his hand. He clenched his fists in frustration, angry at the feeling of hopelessness that was filling him.

He was about to admit defeat when he heard someone call over a hand-held communicator that Ashura had been carrying, "Ashura, this is Shadow. I've recovered three of the Emerald shards, but I can't seem to find any more."

The flaming sphere in Ashura's palm dimmed. He pulled out the radio from the pack on his back, replying, "I've recovered three as well and am in the process of recovering the fourth. According to this 'Reploid' I'm fighting, there's a 'Maverick' who should have a few."

"Alright," Shadow replied. "I'll keep a lookout for this 'Maverick.' Any idea what he looks like?"

Ashura glared at Zero, his gaze demanding an answer. Zero, who was really in no position to negotiate, replied, "He looks like a robotic dinosaur, about the height of a man. His main method of attack seems to be the blades on his hands and feet, especially the ones on his big toes, and he's incredibly fast. He's covered in blood, apparently from killing some human on this planet…"

Zero noticed that Ashura seemed to realize something with that last part. However, Shadow answered him instead, stating, "Copy that, over and out."

Zero rose to his feet, then turned to Ashura. "Do you believe me now?"

Ashura looked at him, surprised. "What?"

"You seem have realized something when I mentioned that the Maverick was bloodstained."

"Err… nothing," Ashura replied. He turned back to Zero, taking up his offensive stance. "Well then, where-"

"You can have your damn shard," Zero said, turning around to head back to the shuttle. "It seems that we're on same side."

Zero heard Ashura say, "What do you mean 'same side?'"

Zero was about to reply, but Douglas interrupted, shouting, "Zero! The jamming field cleared around that base, but the Mavericks are nowhere in sight!"

"What?!" Zero replied, rushing over to the shuttle. Inside, Zero stood next to where Douglas was sitting, glaring at the scanner's displays. "Where the hell are they?!"

"'THEY?!'" he heard Ashura say behind him, apparently also viewing the displays. "You're telling me there are TWO of them?!"

Zero was about to snap at the hedgehog when Douglas pointed a strange blip out. "There!" He quickly typed on the keyboard in front of him, bringing up a few new windows. "They're apparently on this ship… but, there's no record of any type of ship like this in our database."

"We'd better try to go after them," Zero replied. "How's their shuttle?"

Douglas typed a bit more, bringing up a new window, which he frowned at. "Totaled; they don't want to be followed."

Zero muttered quietly to himself, "Raptor did say his subordinate had met someone that he needed to meet…" He turned to Ashura, who apparently had heard exactly what he'd said, "Does you're shuttle fly?"

He shook his head. "No. Some freak blasted a hole in the side of it, and everyone who probably had any skill at repairing it is more than likely dead."

"It wouldn't be any good anyways," Douglas responded. "It's a more primitive design anyways and…" He looked back at the display, then shouted, "There's another ship almost on top of us!"

"Is that any way to treat our new ride?" Zero heard someone say outside the shuttle. He turned to see a blue creature that looked similar to Ashura standing outside the entrance to the shuttle, a large shadow looming over him and the surrounding area.

"Sonic," Ashura said, "what's going on?"

"I'll explain on the way," Sonic replied. "Right now, we should get aboard, especially if we want to recover the rest of the Master Emerald."

* * *

**Place: **Unknown

**Time: **Unknown

**Date: **Unknown

_ Am I dead?_

Nathan slowly awoke to the ambiance of what sounded like health monitoring equipment. As he opened his eyes, a bright white light blinded him, making him blink several times before his eyes could adjust. He was lying in a bed with a stiff mattress and itchy blankets, though it more comfortable than the chair that Shic had forced him to sleep in for two days.

He felt really weak, the memory of him smashing the Master Emerald quickly coming back to him. He found himself trying to feel if his limbs were still attached, and was surprised to find that he had the use of his arms again, though he felt a unusually flexible cast covering where his arms had broken.

He didn't sense much in the way of emotions. The most he could make out was maybe four or five sources in the nearby area, with two of them being in the immediate room. The closest source was one of relief, probably glad to know that Nathan survived. The other, which was a little further away, also had a sense of relief, though there were hints of anger and shame.

Nathan slowly sat up, feeling a brief sensation of dizziness hit him. "So, you're awake," he heard a familiar voice say, one which he recognized to be the blue creature that had stayed with him. "You probably shouldn't push yourself too hard; you might actually end up injuring yourself this time."

Nathan looked around the room, studying his surroundings. It seemed like a standard sci-fi medical bay; tan-colored walls with a number of beds lined up against the walls with monitoring equipment around them lit up with rather dim lighting, though he attributed that to these beds not being in use considering how well the area he was at was lit. There were chairs near some of the beds, with one of the one's nearest to him taken by the strange blue creature from earlier. He was the one who was relieved to see he was alive.

Off by the door, the creature he recognized as Knuckles was leaning against the wall, with arms crossed and looking down at the ground with his eyes closed. He seemed to be in better shape than Nathan had seen him last, but Nathan knew that he was angry himself, probably for making him shatter the Emerald and nearly getting him killed. He looked up briefly, smiling a bit in relief that Nathan was all right.

Nathan took a look at his arms, seeing the strange cast better in proper light. It didn't seem like anything fancy, though the fact that it gave him more flexibility than other casts impressed him. He noticed that his hands were covered with small bandages, probably from all the scraps he had received during his little "hike" with Shic. He also noticed that he had received yet another wardrobe change, with what appeared to be part of a hospital gown replacing the bland uniform top, which had undoubtedly become blood-soaked.

"Where am I?" he found himself asking, not really seeming to be directing the question at anyone.

"You're on the _Halley's Comet_," the blue creature said. "Her captain picked us up and brought us here. Going timing too, considering you began slipping away just before she got there."

Nathan thought back to before they had arrived on the planet, about the ship that was pursuing them and how the ship's captain was apparently a human woman. He guess this must have been that ship. Still, he was a little surprised to not the captain here.

A more urgent thought crossed his mind. "Where's Shic?"

The creature shrugged. "He's about two hours ahead of us, and the way it appears, he's getting further ahead. He got his hands on about half of the Emerald you smashed, and teamed up with a couple of homicidal robots. We're not sure what that Chunkisoupa's out to get, but it can't be good."

Nathan felt another presence approaching the room, making him turn his attention to the door. He felt a sense of determination, but also a lot of worry. There was also the underlying sadness and loneliness he had sensed a day or so earlier, making him immediately assume it was the captain.

The door slid open and a woman, dressed in a profession yet slim and brightly colored uniform, walked in carrying several sets of uniforms. She was probably in her early to mid twenties, a lot younger than Nathan expected for a captain of an alien spacecraft. She had shoulder-length blonde hair and deep brown eyes, which bore a determined look that hid the pain she had to endure well. Nathan imaged that, if Mike was here, the first thing out of his mouth would probably been something along of the lines of her being "hot."

"That's 'Chellosua,' Sonic," she said, apparently having overheard part of the conversation. She then looked at Nathan, asking politely, "So, how are you feeling?"

Needless to say, Nathan age-old weakness seemed to kick in here. He found himself growing a little nervous, and he swore he felt his face turning red, even though he wasn't sure if he could in his weakened condition. The captain's expression seemed to mirror his, though she quickly tried to ignore it.

"'Shy' I believe is the answer, Captain Halley," Sonic said sarcastically.

The captain cleared her throat, then reached her hand out. "My name is Halley, captain of this ship. I'm afraid that I don't have a last name, at least none that I can remember. You're Nathan…"

Nathan nervously shook her hand, still a like embarrassed about his reaction. "Nathan Mathios."

She nodded. "Sonic told me what you said to him about you're current situation. I'll do what I can to get you back home to Earth, but right now the priority is to stop Shic from using his half of this 'Master Emerald' for harm." She handed him the uniforms, saying, "I went ahead and retrieved a new set of clothes for you. I was sure about the sizes, and I'm afraid they lack some style, but it seemed you need a change in attire."

"Yeah," Sonic added, "you haven't changed in two days. Everyone on the ship's complaining that they could smell you all the way to the bridge!"

"That's enough, Sonic," Halley said seriously, though she was clearly amused. "Anyways, I'll be heading back the bridge. Sonic will wait outside of the med-bay just in case you need any help or if you'd like to get out and look around." She looked at Sonic, saying, "Right Sonic?"

Sonic just shrugged. "Well, I never volunteered, but, hey, its not like I got anything better to do."

She looked back at Nathan, saying, "If you need anything, I'll be on the bridge."

Nathan just nodded nervously.

She smiled at him, then turned and walked towards the door. Knuckles looked up, then pushed off the wall. "If you're looking for me, I'll probably be on the bridge as well. Ashura and I are trying to keep an eye on that 'Zero' character. It'd be best if you avoided him; he wasn't too happy to find out you were the one who shattered the Emerald." Knuckles then followed Halley out.

Nathan sighed, then said, "Something really bad happened."

Sonic frowned at him, then just said, "You shouldn't worry about that right now. You probably have enough on your mind already." He started walking to the door, then paused. He looked back, whispering, "But just between you and me, I think the captain's got a crush on you."


	3. Episode 3 Revelations

It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I really don't like how I introduced the character of Halley. I did some development in this episode, but I still wasn't all that happy with her. Not to mention the fact that in retrospect I could have had some other character in her place.

Brief credits:  
- Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, and related Sonic the Hedgehog elements are property of Sega and Sonic Team.  
- Zero, Douglas, and related Megaman X elements are property of Capcom.  
- All original characters and elements are my property and may not be used.  
- Ashura the Hedgehog is technically not my character, but I do claim this version of him. Granted, I'm not sure what the rules are for characters based on glitches are...  
- Anything else I missed... well, you know...  
- I'd like to thank my cousin Jake for support.  
- Hitchhiking is good. Cows are good too.

* * *

**Universal Link  
Revelations**

Nathan rolled on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He blinked at the nothingness above him, the darkness covering every corner of the room he was in. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on getting to sleep, which he knew it would be futile.

There was a lot of tension on the _Halley's Comet_, even for a crew that consisted of only six actual life forms. It echoed through the empty corridors down to the far side of the ship where he had picked a set of quarters to stay, making him feel rather anxious, afraid something would go wrong.

The tension was not the only thing that was keeping him awake. His mind was buzzing with the events that have unfolded over the past few days. He was worried about what Shic might do with the part of the Master Emerald that he had managed to get. He doubted, considering Shic's behavior, that it would be anything good.

He was worried about what this Zero person was angry with him about. He hadn't run into the supposed "Maverick Hunter" yet, even over the course of the past two days. However, everyone he had talked to warned him to try avoiding him for some unknown reason. He worried that something bad might happen if he finally ran into Zero, though, considering the events of the past week, it probably would end up being next to nothing.

He also was uncomfortable about what Sonic had said to him about Captain Halley's feelings. Every time he thought back to his brief meeting with her, he realized that he had sensed the feeling of attraction from her, which made him shutter. Not that the feeling wasn't entirely mutual, but it just wasn't right, considering she was nearly twice his age. He had decided that he'd confront her about this, assuming he'd get the nerve to leave his quarters.

He rolled on his side, the thought of how homesick he filling his mind. If there was anything he wanted more, it was to let everyone know he was all right. He wanted to tell Mike about this whole adventure, knowing that getting even him to believe it would be an adventure in itself. He wanted to make sure Chad was all right, even though he probably knew that, even if he'd lived, that things would never be the same for him. And most importantly, he wanted to know if Heather was safe, that Shic had indeed spared her. He thought that, if he actually was able to return home, the first thing he'd do is ask her out. He still didn't know if he'd have the nerve, but considering everything that had happened, he figured it be the easiest thing he'd done in his life.

Then the thought crossed his mind: after everything that had happened, would she accept? She had seen a lot of things at the old house that no one her, or more like their, age should probably have to see. On top of that, it was guaranteed that she witnessed Nathan taking that energy blast for her, and somehow surviving when others couldn't.

Would she still be the old Heather he had known before this whole charade? He highly doubted it. Would she, depending on what she had seen, still think of him the same way she had before, or would she think he was some inhuman freak? He didn't know. These thoughts made his mind buzz even more.

He felt his stomach grumble, which focused his attention on more immediate concerns. He hadn't eaten a decent meal for the past three or so days, being unconscious for most of this time. The strange thing was that he didn't feel as weak as he should have, considering the extent of the injuries he had taken back on Ochoco should have made him lose a lot of blood.

As he began to slowly sit up in the darkness, he felt a warm tear role down his face. He sighed, realizing just how depressed he felt. He wanted someone to talk to about how he felt, but didn't know who to turn to. He knew there were a few, like Sonic or Knuckles who would probably listen, but he didn't know if he could trust them.

Nathan walked down the empty corridors, finding himself feeling a little claustrophobic. While they weren't incredibly small, they felt like they were smaller than they should be. There was probably enough room for three people from one wall to the next to walk down without bumping shoulders, while there was probably just enough room for the average basketball player to travel and not bump their heads. Of course, Nathan knew this was an alien ship, so he surmised that they weren't quite as tall as the average human was.

The lighting was dimmed, apparently to conserve power. Glancing at all the doors he walked by, he noticed that most of them had a small metal plate on the door, but there didn't appear to be anything written on them. Considering the non-existent crew, this all made some sense. However, this plain and simple fact made him wonder what was up. Did Captain Halley steal this ship, or was there some other, more reasonable explanation for all this?

He soon stopped at an intersection between corridors for a moment to ponder this question. Looking around however brought another thing to his attention, and that was that he was lost. He thought he had followed Sonic's instructions about where to find this apparent "lounge" to a tee, but he guessed he got too caught up in thought to really pay that much attention.

He found himself feeling anxious, nervous about being lost on some alien ship in the middle of nowhere. He tried to stay calm, knowing that it probably wouldn't be hard to find some sort of landmark to collect his bearings. It probably wouldn't be hard to find him either, considering it'd probably take on scan to locate him.

He then sensed something out of the ordinary. While the ambiance created by the tension on the ship still hung around him, he felt like it was bouncing off of something in the distance, creating what was essentially a void in the emotion. He felt it coming up from behind him, traveling at what seemed to be a casual walking pace, most likely unaware of his presence. This was soon accompanied by what sounded like heavy footsteps, a sort of metal softly clashing against metal sound.

He turned around, catching a glimpse at the figure approaching him. He couldn't make out a lot of detail, but it looked like whoever was approaching him was human, or at least humanoid. The person approaching him seemed to be wearing a strange suit of armor that was mostly green in color.

The man looked up from whatever he was reading to see Nathan. "Hello," he said, sounding a little concerned. "Are you all right?"

Nathan nodded uncertainly. "I'm okay," he said with a sigh of relief. "Just a little lost."

The man chuckled. "That's not surprising. These empty corridors even confuse me, and I have built in sensors to tell me where I am."

Nathan gulped nervously, realizing the reason why he couldn't sense the man. "You're a robot?"

"Well, that's one way of putting it," the man replied, crossing his arms. "The term we use is 'Reploid,' though there's not really any difference… with the exception that we Reploids view ourselves more complex than the average robot." He held out his hand to Nathan. "The name's Douglas. You're Nathan, I assume?"

"Yeah…" Nathan cautiously took Douglas' hand and gave him a handshake.

Douglas laughed at Nathan's reaction. "I guess I can't really blame you for not trusting me. Anyways, where were you trying to go?"

"The lounge that Sonic mentioned," Nathan said.

"You're not that far off track," Douglas said. He pointed down the corridor to the right of Nathan, saying, "All you have to do is follow these corridors until the end."

Nathan looked down in that direction. "Thanks," he replied.

"Don't mention it," Douglas said. "I've been studying up on the ship's specs. It's essentially something I was designed for, so I figured I'd try to make myself useful considering that lack of crewmen on this ship. In fact, I just I had just returned from the bridge to give the Captain a few suggests on how to improve systems. She hasn't given me the green light yet, but she's quite impressed by my work."

Nathan nodded slowly. "I see…"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Douglas said apologetically. "I didn't mean to hold you up. I get carried away sometimes." He started walking away, saying, "Well, I'd better get back to the engineering section. Now that she has an engineer onboard, she wants someone down there most of the time. Not that I mind or anything… Oh, there I go again!"

The lounge was hardly what Nathan had imagined, making him wonder if it was even the proper term for to use. It was more a large observation deck, three decks high and half a football field long. The decks traveled upwards in a staircase-like fashion, with the bottommost connecting to a huge transparent barrier that looked out into space. The upper two decks had guardrails at the edge of them, though they were shorter than if a human crew ran the ship. The top deck had elevators placed at the edge at both sides, as well as one in the middle, which traveled down through the center of the next deck and onto the bottom.

The atmosphere was dimmed like the rest of the ship. It was also deafly quiet, with the only sound being a quiet hum from the storage machinery on the middle deck. The silhouettes of the furniture, which consisted of tables, chairs, and plants that would have probably been used to add color to the deck, created a more eerie appearance.

Nathan sat in a chair in the center of the second deck, looking out onto the field of rushing stars, distorted by whatever allowed this ship to travel faster than light. He was munching on some strange bars that he found in what apparently was the equivalent to a refrigerator, with a number of other food items on the table in front of him. He was pleasantly surprised at the flavor of this alien food, as he had expected something a little more distasteful.

He wondered about what would happen when they finally caught up to Shic. Knowing Shic had half of the Emerald made Nathan worry that they wouldn't be able to put up a decent fight. He then wondered about the nature of Douglas' modifications. Taking into consideration that they too had half of the Emerald, he wondered if he really needed to worry.

He looked at the food he was eating. For some strange reason, he found himself wondering if he should stop, despite the fact he was still hungry. The thought of what happened when he felt his classmates die back that the McKinney place made him realize that Shic's motives were probably sinister, and that most likely someone else was going to die. If Shic used to Emerald for a wider scale of death than before, would Nathan simply lose his balance and his lunch, or would something much worse happen?

He threw the bar against the table, causing it to send a number of others to go scattering. He was frustrated, angry with himself for even letting Shic get any of the Emerald. He didn't want anyone else to die, especially not because of him. In a lot of ways, he felt that he had set this whole thing in motion.

He stood up, walking over to the edge of the deck. He stared out into the sea of warped stars, trying to focus his mind on something other than his worries. He wished he were at home, lying out in the cool grass of the field behind his house, staring up at them as they hovered there unmoving. He always found that to be one of the few things that could really let him relax, collecting his thoughts and calming his senses as he got lost in the heavens. There was no way he could do that here, not with all that was going on.

He sighed. He was so overwhelmed by his own emotions for once, with so many feeling filling him that it was nearly unbearable. He felt confused, angry, sad, hungry, tired… Back home, he always tried to help others in distress, regardless of the cost to him. But now, when he needed the help, it didn't feel like anyone was there for him.

He heard the door open behind him, apparently too wrapped up in his own feelings to have sensed anyone approaching. He turned to look who it was, an expression of dread quickly crossing his face.

The silhouette of Captain Halley waved to him. "Hello, Nathan," she said in a warm yet concerned tone. "How are you feeling?"

"Uh… okay," he stuttered in response. He felt himself become very nervous, uncertain about how to approach her with the question he needed to ask. He felt himself perspiring, and knew that in the proper lighting, his face was probably twelve shades of red by now. Hopefully she wouldn't pick up on it.

She walked over to him, stopping by the railing five feet from where he was. He watched her cautiously, finding himself becoming anxious. He didn't sense anything abnormal about her emotions, but couldn't quite bring himself to ask his question.

There was a period of long, uneasy silence, which Halley had seemed to pick up on and eventually broke, saying, "You know, I prefer looking at the stars when they're sitting still, just floating there, undistorted by the effects of Trans."

Nathan nodded slowly, glancing back to the window, saying simply, "Yeah."

"When I was growing up on the Homeworld, I always wondered what it was really like out here. The stars always seemed so peaceful, and I wondered if everything else was. I wondered if they went on forever, or if they were like some sea, with some other land hiding on the other side of the horizon. I also wondered if…"

Nathan sensed a hint of sadness. He glanced at her, seeing that she was looking down, her eyes closed and her face covered by a hint of sorrow. "If what?" he asked curiously, trying to get her to talk about her feelings.

She opened her eyes, trying to shake off the thought that upset her. "It-It's nothing," she said. "Just some unrealistic thought that crosses my mind from time to time."

Nathan looked back at the stars. "I think I understand," he said, looking down with the same expression. "You want to go home."

Halley laughed through her sadness. "Nothing gets by you, does it?" she said sarcastically. "Yes, that's the thought. Back on the Homeworld, I feel that I don't fit in. I've been trying so hard to find my place, graduating with top honors at what would be equivalent to your schools and military academies, surpassing everyone's expectations of me, and yet, I never get any respect." She looked down again. "So every now and then, I wonder what home--my real home--is like. I want to go back so bad, to see it with my own eyes."

"But you can't," Nathan said. "Its been 'infected' by something, hasn't it?"

Halley looked at him, surprised to here him say that. "How do you know that?"

"Shic mentioned to me back on his ship," Nathan replied nervously, afraid that he was giving her the impression that he knew what was going on back home. "He never told be the whole story, just that it was doomed for some reason. It worries me because I don't know what he's talking about."

There was a brief period of silence, then Halley asked, "Do you really want to know?"

Nathan looked out at the stars, contemplating the question. If he found out, he thought that his mind would be at ease, as he'd have an answer to this question Shic created. On the other hand, he knew the answer would not be one he'd likely want to hear, and just would end up worrying him even more. "I… don't really know…" he responded in a nervous tone.

Halley sighed, then began, her voice sounding cold, "Earth is in an area of space that's rumored to be infested by an alien race known as the Grays. They're relatively primitive compared to most other races, but yet have also proven to be one of the most dangerous. They've managed to take over the control of hundreds by taking possession of a crewmember with sentient 'black oil.' From there, they've jumped from one crewmember of a lower rank up to higher-ranking officers until they have enough power to take command of a ship. This scenario is quite rare however, as they usually end up being detected well before this.

"The Grays are also, and unfortunately, a space-faring race. They travel to worlds within their reach, normally staying out of the range of the more advanced races. At these worlds, they monitor the development of the race, making sure that they never becomes a threat." There was a brief pause in Halley's speech, and Nathan could feel the pain of what he guessed was a horrifying memory filling her thoughts. When she finally continued, she spoke as if she was trying not to break down, stating, "They occasionally abduct members of the race, running all sorts of tests on them. Most of the time, the tests are too horrifying to…"

Her face, though it was hard to tell in the darkness of the dimmed room, went pale. The memory that she was reliving seemed to be incredibly painful and grotesque, so much so that Nathan surmised that she always had trouble taking about it. He felt uncertain about how to continue.

He sighed, hoping his next question wouldn't end up making things worse. "Is that why you ended up with the Oz…?"

"The Azhile?" Halley replied. She nodded, a couple of tears rolling down her cheek. "Yes. I was taken from Earth about twenty years ago. I don't remember much, just being in this vehicle with my dad, my real dad, as we were traveling home from something. There was this sudden blinding light, and then everything just went dark. The next thing I remember clearly was waking up in an Azhile hospital, my entire body being covered in bandages. I remember that when I first saw one of the Azhile, I started screaming at the top of my lungs so hard that I could taste of blood in my mouth before passing out." She laughed to herself. "To be honest, I don't know why I panicked; the Azhile are really not that frightening, just unusual in appearance, like a cross between a couple of earth animals… a gorilla and a hedgehog I believe."

Nathan thought about the appearance, imagining a freaky looking giant ape with spines replacing its fur, walking around on all fours. "Actually, that IS rather disturbing," he replied.

Halley laughed at Nathan's reaction, clearly amused. "All right, it's not the best example. They're more human than ape, though none of them get much taller than you." She became more serious, continuing, "Anyways, I was confused and alone in an alien hospital, with the only thing I wanted was to see my dad. However, he never came." She closed her eyes, another tear rolling down her cheek. "It was probably a week until someone, the captain of the ship who rescued me, reached out and told me what happened. Apparently the ship we were on traveled too close to the border of Azhile space, where it was intercepted and shot down, crashing on another world. I was the only survivor.

"The captain felt sorry for what happened, in some ways feeling that he was responsible for my father's death. He eventually took me in, raising me if I was one of his children. It took me some time, but eventually I looked up to him as if he was my father." She smiled a little, some degree of happiness breaking through. "It was tough for both of us, with me struggling to fit in and him taking ridicule from just about everyone. Still, he was always there for me, supporting me every step of the way. In some ways, I'm happy to consider him my father."

Nathan smiled a little. Halley had been through a lot, perhaps even more than Nathan had been through. She was so full of pain and sorrow, and yet managed to be as strong as she could. She seemed open about the things that made her sad, at least around him, probably because it was that he was human or maybe that she just wanted to try to relate to his situation. Whatever the case, he found himself admiring her, knowing that she was someone he could look up to.

There were a few minutes of silence, both of them watching the stars pass by. Finally, she asked, "Nathan, what's home really like? Everyone back on the Homeworld tells me that it's a barbaric place."

Nathan could tell that she was indeed curious, and didn't believe what she had been told. "I guess it really depends on where you were born and how you were raised," Nathan replied. "In some parts of the world there's constant fighting over the differences in people's beliefs, something that I don't understand. Other places, people are just trying to survive on what little they have."

"It sounds pretty rough," Halley replied. "Its not that tough for you, is it?"

Nathan laughed solemnly at her statement. "No, I've got it pretty easy. It's funny though, because it's not often that people like me are reminded how fortunate we are." He sighed, thinking back to what Shic had told him days earlier. "Still, there are times I don't feel like I fit in."

"Why's that?"

Nathan sighed. "I think it's because of my empathy. I have a tendency to hang out with people who aren't 'cool,' or at least that's what everyone believes. I don't really give a damn about being popular, considering that all the popular people practically stomp on those who aren't, kicking them around like they were nothing more than trash." Nathan clenched his fists, continuing, "Those type of people piss me off. They don't understand the pain they cause, or if they do, they don't care. I can't stand to see people in pain, regardless who they are."

"So you're basically the person who stands up for the weak?"

Nathan chuckled somberly. "Yeah, I guess I do. Whenever I sense someone in trouble, I try to help somehow. I try to get them to talk about whatever's troubling them or try to negotiate with someone who threatening them. I've gotten into so many fights, been beat up so many times, and yet, I keep going, keep trying to help." Nathan laughed, then added, "I've been told by so many of people, the one's I defend, the one's I fight, and even the one's on the sideline, that I have some sort of 'death wish.' Hell, I've been called 'Deathwish' every so often."

"That sounds horrible," Halley said. "Still, there are not too many people like you out there, or out here, for that matter."

Halley laughed to herself. "What's so funny?" Nathan asked

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head. "It's just that I imagined that you were that kind of person. You seem so caring and considerate, the kind of thing that's missing in the galaxy. I guess that's why I kind of like you."

This reaction made Nathan a little nervous. How did she really feel about him he wondered? He sensed something, which felt something between admiration and attraction, but he wasn't completely sure. Maybe now was the time to ask the question he really dreaded to ask…

"What's your family like?" Halley asked seriously, cutting him off before he had the chance to ask. "Do you have parents that understand what you're going through?"

Nathan was caught off guard by the question, but was not entirely surprised. It was a question that he really didn't like answering. He looked down, becoming silent for a moment. "I don't have any parents," he said, sounding much colder than he wanted to.

"I-I'm sorry," Halley replied, picking up on his tone.

Nathan sighed. "That's alright, I'm used to being asked questions like that." A rather gruesome image popped into his mind, one that he had tried to bury for years. He shook it off, continuing, "I've been living with my aunt and uncle since I was little. They've tried their best to be my parents, but I don't know… I guess knowing that they aren't has created a bit of a rift between us.

"As far as my… gift goes, I remember trying to explain it to my aunt when I was little, when I first began feeling the emotions that hung in the air around me. She didn't seem take me seriously, thinking that I was just playing some sort of game. I eventually began keeping it a secret. There is one person who at least tried to understand me, and that was my cousin Mike. I know there's times that he doesn't believe me, but some of the things I've done seem to have given him proof to at least try to understand. He's really the only person who knows."

"Do you have any girlfriends?" Halley asked.

Nathan's face felt like it was glowing like a light bulb. "Yeah…" he said nervously. "I guess I do…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Halley said, amused at his nervous reaction.

Nathan laughed nervously. "There's this girl in my class. She has a locker next to mine, so every morning she greets me. She's got this radiance about her that always make me feel better, especially when I've been having a rough day. I know she has a crush on me… and I really like her, but I've never been able to…" He trailed off, thinking back to what happened back at the mansion.

Halley must have seen the sudden change of emotions on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Nathan sighed mournfully. "She was with me when I confronted Shic. I had gone off to confront him, and she had went to find me, to get me to leave." Nathan felt a tear rolled down his cheek. "Shic fired some sort of energy blast at her, trying to eliminate her to ensure that there weren't any witnesses…"

"So you're saying she's…"

The tears started rolling down his face. "I… don't know," he stuttered. "I remember stepping in the way at the last second to protect her. But, I think Shic had used that same attack on a couple of my classmates, and it went right through them." He sighed, trying to get control of himself, adding, "He said he spared her in turn that I gave my freedom, but I couldn't tell if he was lying or not. I don't know how I survived, but if the blast was as powerful as it should have been…" He sniffed, "There's no way my body should have blocked the shot. She's most likely dead because of me…"

Nathan continued to cry. He finally managed to release his pent up emotions, but he didn't know if he felt any better.

He felt a warm hand touch his shoulder. He looked over to see Halley looking at him with a sympathetic smile on her face. "Hey, its all right," she said, trying to sound supportive. "You don't know that for certain, right?"

"Maybe," Nathan nodded. "But how will I know? I don't know if I'll ever be able to go home again… so I my never know…"

Nathan found himself instinctively hugging Halley. This action seemed to be something she was a little surprised and uncomfortable about, but she didn't try to struggle, understanding how he felt. She returned his embrace, gently patting his shoulders, calming him. "I'm here for you," she said softly, "so don't worry about it. Everything will be okay."

They stood there in the shadows of the observation deck for what felt like forever. Nathan found himself feeling safe in her arms, the warmth making him forget about his troubles. Being there reminded him when his aunt tried to comfort him when he was little. It also brought back another memory, something that he had forgotten about long ago, and made him cry even harder. The memory of his…

Nathan awoke to find himself seated in one of the observation deck's chairs, covered in a blanket and facing towards the stars. He was a little puzzled at first about how he ended up there, but after taking a moment to think back, he couldn't help but to laugh to himself. He must have been more exhausted than he had realized, considering the last thing he remember was being in Halley's arms.

He glanced out at the stars, wondering if anything had happened between them that he did not remember. Looking around, he noticed that the table he had been eating at had been cleaned up except for a couple unopened bars. He looked back at the stars, trying to think of anything…

The stars caught his attention. Instead of being obscured by whatever allowed the ship to travel great distances, they floated by ever so slowly. He quickly tried to focus on the emotions in the air, shaking off any of the grogginess that lingered. What he felt was alertness, anticipation, and a hint of panic. He had a good idea about what was about to happen.

He threw off the blanket and stood up, a brief dizzy spell hitting him as the blood rushed to his head. He quickly shook the sensation off, rushing towards the door. He needed to get up to the bridge, knowing something was going to happen.

The door slid open a lot sooner than he expected. He sensed someone on the other side, though in the dim lighting he couldn't tell who. He ducked behind one of the tables, knowing that it really wouldn't really give him that much cover if he was attack.

He heard someone sigh, then a familiar voice say, "Aren't you being a little jumpy?"

Nathan recognized the voice instantly, slowly standing up to see the short, talled-spined being in the doorway. "Sonic," he muttered.

"In the blue," Sonic replied, stepping out of most of the darkness. He seemed rather edgy, something that, considering Nathan previous encounters with the hedgehog, seemed rather unnatural.

"What's going on?" Nathan said, sounding worried.

"We finally caught up to Shit," Sonic said, though whether he was trying to be funny was hard to tell. "Cap'n told me to get make sure you were away from the observation deck before we tried to confront him."

Nathan nodded, not questioning the reasoning. "I want to go to the bridge."

Sonic shook his head. "Sorry bud. I'm supposed to make sure you get back to your quarters until this is over."

Nathan sighed in a defeated manner. "Fine, I'll head back…"

As they walked into the dark corridors, Nathan sensed some confusion in Sonic. "What's wrong?" Nathan asked.

Sonic glanced at Nathan, a surprised expression on his face. "Nothing really does get by you," he said, laughing a little. "Actually, I don't remember how to get you back to your quarters." He grinned, adding, "So, how 'bout we head for the bridge?"

The bridge was almost what Nathan had expected, at least if this were an Earth ship. It still had the unusual low ceiling, consisting of a glass-like barrier that slanted down to towards the front of the bridge. The bridge was vaster than he imagined, stretching out in a near-oval shape and consisting of three levels. Each of these levels was only a foot lower than the next, with sections of the levels closest to him sloping downwards to meet the next and short guardrails separating each section.

Raised in the center of the room on a smaller fourth level was the Captain's Seat, with the Captain naturally at her post, facing away from him. She seemed quite alert, watching what was happening outside the ship. Nathan could tell she was quite tense, worried about what was about to happen.

Not far from her was the red dreadlocked creature that Nathan had come to know as Knuckles the Echidna. He faced away from Nathan, staring out in the space ahead of them, his arms crossed and tapping one his toes impatiently. There was the sense of alertness that filled the air, though Nathan could also sense some irritation and what he thought could be the feeling of being homesick.

In front of the Captain's seat were a couple of desk-like structures made of cold metal and covered with different controls, two chairs situated behind them. Nathan could only surmise what the stations were for, but if his guess, which were based off of the many sci-fi flicks and TV shows he had seen, were correct, they were probably for piloting the ship, means of communication, monitors the ships systems, et cetera. But if this were the case, Nathan wondered how Halley managed to pilot the ship with no crew.

To the back most portions of the bridge and off to Nathan's sides were what appeared to be two work stations that covered the walls from ceiling to floor. There were many different displays, some showing the image of what Nathan guessed was the _Halley's Comet_, while others displayed different sets of data—in English nonetheless. Douglas, the Reploid he had met from before, was sitting in the chair in front of the displays of the _Comet_, intently looking at the data displayed.

A creature whom looked a lot like Sonic except with green fur topped with black stripes sat on the opposite side, studying the text on the display, which seemed to rapidly change by the second. This creature, whom he assumed was probably the one named Ashura, seemed to be trying to learn a lot about something in a short period, and Nathan sensed he was finding some of the information he was looking for, though he was treating it with a grain of salt. Like everyone else on the bridge, he was anxious for what was about to happen.

At the front of the bridge stood two figures on opposite sides of the room, both facing away. One was short and looked a little like Sonic, except with black fur with red stripes on the top of each spine, the second row of spines rising up. His demeanor was near total calm, to the point where his anticipation was hard to read.

The other, who was probably taller than Nathan, had a long blond braid reaching almost to the floor, making whomever it was seem to be a girl. Whomever this was wore a red and white helmet with two sets of points rising in back, the front set inches higher than the next. This character also appeared to be wearing a strange set of armor, with square shoulder pads that were white with red outlines, and large red boots. Like Douglas, Nathan could not sense anything from whoever this was. Was this Zero?

Nathan glanced past them, looking out into space. Even in the darkness of space he could make out the rough detail of two ships. Nathan recognized the closest ship immediately as the _Gikuthoc_, Shic's ship. The design of it was one that reminded him of a hawk in flight, with the head of the ship containing the command center being ovular shaped which was connected by a short neck to the body of the ship, wings outstretched as it glided through space gracefully. However, this metal hawk had teeth and claws, with numerous cannons built under the command module and along front of both wings.

Further in the distance was another ship. It appeared to be much larger than Shic's ship, the general shape bulkier and less aerodynamic. The design reminded Nathan of the old coal freighters that he watched travel the waters of Lake Superior back home, giving him a feel for what kind of ship it was.

Halley pressed a button on the arm of her chair, then spoke in what sounded like the same language that he had heard back when she had been pursuing Shic back at Ochoco, though the words were clearly different. There was a sense of desperation coming from her, as if whatever she said wouldn't do a bit of good.

There was a long silence after she sent the message. She watched as Shic's vessel just moved closer to the alien freighter. She eventually slammed her fist against the arm of the chair, spitting out a single alien word. It was clear that she was frustrated.

Nathan sensed the tension of everyone in the room grow, the expectation being that they would be going into battle. There was a lot of uncertainty as well, considering the only one who had any actual training was Halley, and even she wasn't sure she was ready. He also wondered if him being on the bridge was such a good idea, worrying that he'd only get in the way.

Halley sighed, then spoke in an authoritative manner, "Alright everyone. I believe we have no other choice but to engage Shic before he attacks the freighter. I would like your—"

"Something's not right," Shadow said, cutting her off. "He should be in range to attack right now, but he has yet to do so."

"Maybe he's planning something," Ashura replied. "But still, why would he attack a simple freighter? Is it carrying something of importance, or is there some other reason?"

This comment gave Nathan an idea. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on the ships ahead of them, trying to ignore the noise coming from everyone in the room. He knew that even if he did manage to sense something out there, he probably wouldn't be able to sense anything about Shic's motives, or even his emotions assuming he was still wearing that thought blocker. Still, it was worth the try.

He managed to pick up something from the _Gikuthoc_, which he assumed was coming from Shic. The feelings weren't of a good nature, being those of a very bitter hatred, most likely towards the crew of the freighter. It was a hatred that seemed to have been fueled for decades if not centuries. It didn't take him long to come to a conclusion about why he hated them.

He opened his eyes, stating in a horrified tone, "They destroyed his race." Everyone turned to look at him, expressions of surprise or annoyance on their faces.

"What the hell are you doing here?" the one who Nathan assumed was Zero said firmly. The expression on Zero's face was one of anger, indicating that he hated Nathan for some reason.

Halley sighed, clearly not happy that Nathan was on the bridge. However, she nodded slowly to answer Nathan's question.

"So its true?" Ashura said, directing his question to Halley.

Before she had a chance to answer the question, an alarm sounded on her chair, drawing her attention back to the view port. At first, Nathan, along with everyone else, assumed that it was just a proximity alarm, telling them that they were too close.

However, a strange beam of light seemed to jump from the _Gikuthoc_, crossing swiftly over space to the freighter. Once it had made contact, the _Gikuthoc_ began to move away.

"Dammit!" Zero shouted. "One of the Mavericks teleported over to the freighter!" He stood up straight, beginning to glow, as if he was preparing himself for some kind of transport. He glared over to Nathan briefly, giving him a look that made Nathan shutter. It was a cross between angry, fear, and hopelessness, as if Zero were being condemned to a cruel fate because of him. With that, he transformed into a beam of red light and teleported off.

"I don't know if Zero can handle this fight on his own," Douglas said, fear present in his voice. "He might be too preoccupied by her death that he'll be too focus on the fight."

Nathan stood there in shock, looking down after finally hearing the truth. "I… Someone he cared about… they're dead because of what I did…" The feeling of regret hit him hard. He felt his entire body shake, his eyes start welling with tears. It was his fault…

"Its not your fault!" He heard Knuckles shout at him, snapping him back to reality. "I was the one who told you to do something about the Master Emerald so it didn't fall into that alien's hands. Neither one of us had any idea that there was anyone else on the planet. If the Emerald had—"

Nathan felt a sudden blast of pain shoot through him, short and followed same feeling of death he had felt before, back at the McKinney place. He fell to his knees from the sudden shock. He felt his skin go pale, cold sweat forming on his brow. He held his stomach, trying his best to hold back the sudden urge to vomit.

"Nathan?" Halley said, her voice filling with fear. "What's wrong?"

Another shot of death hit him, making him wince, losing what little balance he had, even though he was on his knees. He stopped himself from falling, using his arms to support himself. He felt his stomach heave, but managed enough strength to prevent himself from throwing up.

"Damn," he heard Shadow say in the distance. "The Maverick must have started killing the crew."

Nathan nodded weakly, trying his best to keep himself together. However, the feeling of the deaths of not one, but several, probably as many as five or six, hit him at once, making him loss control. He felt his body heave, vomit splashing against the steel of the floor, pooling against his hands as he tried to keep his strength. He felt very lightheaded, and was having trouble staying conscience. He felt his entire body start to shake. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.

He felt that everyone who was watching his reaction was horrified at what was happening. Most of them weren't sure what to do, and were worried about him, as well as the crew of the freighter.

The feeling of more people dying hit him sharply, at which he lost control and vomited again. He felt his elbows shaking badly, barely holding his weight up. Everything around him became a blur, sounds becoming distorted. He knew he couldn't withstand the shock much longer.

"Shadow!" he heard Sonic shout. Nathan looked up, seeing a bright blue light travel from the blur that he guessed was Sonic to the barely discernable blur of Shadow. "Get over there and help Zero!"

"I'm on it," he heard Shadow reply, for once dropping his cold tone and replacing it with a sense of urgency. The blue light disappeared, and then the blur of Shadow be replaced by a bright green light, which lasted for only a second.

"Captain!" he heard either Sonic or Ashura shout. "Distance us from the freighter! Give Nathan some room!"

There was no immediate response. Nathan thought he sensed that Halley wasn't thinking clearly. She was filled with panic and guilt, uncertain about how to deal with what was going on. She was scared, fearing for the safety of the freighter's crew, as well as Nathan's.

"CAPTAIN!" Ashura shouted, getting her full attention.

"Ri…Right," Nathan heard her stutter.

One final wave of death hit Nathan. He felt his arms finally give way, and felt himself begin to fall forwards. He felt two sets of arms reach out, catching him before he felt into what had been his lunch. He felt himself hang there, quickly feeling his consciousness draining away. "This is… all my fault…"

"Damn kid," Zero muttered to himself.

He stood in the dimly lit corridors of the alien freighter, saber in hand and ready to attack anything that approached him. However, his mind was too clouded with hate and sadness, throwing his focus off. He knew that in the shape he was in, he probably didn't stand a chance against this Maverick, whether it was Raptor or the other one that was with him.

He was bitter towards Nathan, believing that he was responsible for Dee's death. He felt that he Nathan had essentially handed the shards to the Mavericks when he shattered the Master Emerald. It angered him even more that he had somehow survived, even having the use of his limbs, which had been horribly mangled.

Everyone tried to convince him not to blame Nathan, saying that he didn't know what would have happened if he smashed it. Knuckles had tried to take most of the blame himself, making it clear that he was the one who had given Nathan the idea to smash the Emerald. Ashura took some as well, considering it was his Emerald and that he should have been trying to defend it.

Zero kept saying he refused to buy any of their counter arguments. He was angry and just felt he needed someone to blame. While the Mavericks were the more realistic choice, he felt that it was easier to blame Nathan. He didn't know if he could beat either of the remaining Mavericks now that they were using the power of the Master Emerald, but the boy he knew he could defeat.

As he reached a junction in the corridors, he smelled what he thought was the smell of burnt flesh, and noticed a thin smoke hovering in the air. He gripped his saber tighter, preparing to confront the Maverick that was just ahead. He leaned against the wall, taking a moment to collect his jumbled thoughts before he entered what could easily be his last battle.

However, when he peaked around the corner, he saw a sight that rattled his nerves even more. An adult male hung against the wall, foot long needles through his shoulders, gut, and head keeping him in placed. He was definitely not human, his skin colored like a charred black and his blood a glowing dark violet. His eyes were wide open, and seemed to glow red even in the darkness. His hair was a short and had a marble color, his hairline covered with crystal-like scales that ascended upwards from both sides. His ears were about two inches long, pointing out to a tip. The wardrobe he wore was much different from the rest of his appearance, wearing what seemed like a white uniform.

"What in the hell…" Zero muttered to himself, quite shocked at what he was seeing. The very appearance of the man gave him chills, making him wonder if the nature of such a being matched his demonic look. "Just what am I trying to protect here?"

He thought he heard a scream that was cut short further down the corridor, making him bolt towards it. The Maverick was clearly down in that direction, and was still on a killing spree. However, Zero was even more perplexed than before. He wondered if he would have understood more if he had done more investigating and less fussing.

The path he had taken led him down into one of the vast cargo bays, which stank with the stench of burned flesh. Facing away from him on the opposite side of a wide bridge stood a wide, hunched over Maverick with much the same design of Armored Armadillo from the early days of the Hunters. Instead of an armored carapace on his back, he had thick layer of quills covering his back, which were soaked in the same violet blood Zero had seen before.

"You must be Shock Quillen, the other apparent 'member' of C.O.E.?" Zero said, pointing his saber at the Maverick.

The Maverick chuckled. "Very good, Maverick Hunter," the Maverick replied. He turned around, looking calmly at Zero, pointing to the railing protecting the sides of the bridge. "Do you like the little hell I've created for you? It really fits the appearance of these beings, doesn't it?"

Zero looked over the side of one of the bridges. Meters below were the bodies of the crew of the freighter, probably about as many as two hundred, their glowing purple blood pooling around them. There was enough blood there to make it seem like they were being burned in purple flames.

Zero looked away quickly, trying to shake the image out of his head. "You slaughtered them!" Zero shouted.

"They had it coming," Quillen replied. "These beings, the 'Ghannof' as he referred to them, destroyed his homeworld and hunted down the survivors centuries ago to ensure that they would never exist in the same galaxy… or universe for that matter. At least, that's what they thought."

"Do you think I care what they did?" Zero replied. "It was my duty to stop you from taking any life, good or bad!"

"Well, you've done a piss poor job of it," Quillen said. He chuckled, asking with a sadistic grin, "Has losing your whore-bot made you lose the will to fight?"

Zero glared at Quillen, feeling the rage building. "Shut… up…"

"Come on, that's all she ever was. Sure, after that rogue rescued her, she had herself redesigned to try to get forget her former life. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get past it…"

"You don't know a thing!" Zero shouted.

"She was used by the humans as some plaything, not given any freedom for most of her existence. She was bitter about that, so bitter that it was only a matter of time before she finally snapped. And when she finally did, she'd stabbed you in that back and joined our ranks as one of the Mavericks you hunted. You would have ended up having to destroy her yourself…"

"I said shut up!" Zero shouted, the rage inside reaching its breaking point. He thrust his saber forward, sending a large blast of energy at the Maverick. An explosion soon followed, the shockwave knocking Zero off-balance. When he recovered, he saw a small crater where Quillen had been standing, smoke obscuring the view.

He stood there, his entire body shocking from rage. He glared at where Quillen standing, trying to gain some composure and clear his thoughts. He felt that he couldn't quite shake the anger, enraged at Quillen for the despicable comments he had made about Dee and enraged at himself for his failure to stop Quillen from killing anyone. For once, he noticed, he didn't blame Nathan.

He heard a set of footsteps behind him and quickly spun around. Quillen was standing right behind him, having snuck behind him while he was distracted. He smirked at Zero, saying, "Now's not a good time to be morning the dead, Maverick Hunter."

Before Zero had time to bring his saber up, Quillen thrust two foot-long needles through his shoulders. His accuracy was precise; the needles severed the curcuits that allowed Zero to control his arms.

Quillen then hammered Zero with an electrified punch which sent sliding across the bridge into the crater he had made from his attack. Electricity surged through him briefly, making Zero scream in agony.

Quillen leapt into the air, grabbing a few needles from his back, charging them with electricity, then hurling them at Zero. They all hit Zero with deadly accuracy, pinning him to the floor in his legs and arms. The additional charge weakened Zero further, guarantying that Zero wouldn't struggle.

Zero screamed in agony, the effects of electricity traveling through his metal body almost unbearable. When it had finally stopped, he saw that Quillen was standing over him, one needle in his hand uncharged.

Quillen just shook his head. "Its quiet sad, really. You used to be the number one among the Maverick Hunters, but now all you can do is lay here, weakened by your feelings for some bottom-tier plaything. Such a pathetic fate."

Zero felt a tear roll down his check. "I… don't care anymore. If you're going to finish me off, then just shut up and do finish me."

"Really? You're honestly giving up?" Quillen chuckled, charging the needle in his hand. "Fine, if its death you want, I'll give you a quick one." He pulled his arm back, readying for a quick and deadly throw.

Suddenly, there was a bright green flash, which was followed by Quillen sliding away, his needle landing harmlessly on the ground next to Zero. There soon was sound of someone walking nearby. Zero looked over to see Shadow walking next to him, his fists clenched in anger and rage.

"Shadow!" Zero shouted. "What the hell…"

Shadow moved silently to Zero's side, kneeling over the removed the needles holding him in place. Once he was finished, Shadow turned to face Quillen, four needles in hand. He glared back at Zero, stating in an irritated tone, "If you don't have the will to fight, then stay out of my way."

Quillen laughed at Shadow, clearly amused by the hedgehog's opposition. "So, you're one of these beasts from another realm. You don't look all that impressive to me."

Shadow glared back. "Shut up and make your move."

"Very well then." With a quick gesture, Quillen threw three needles in Shadow's direction. Shadow in return hurled his four at Quillen, the strength of his throw equal to Quillen's, canceling out all of the Maverick's needles. The fourth needle sailed past the others, aimed directly at Quillen's head.

Quillen sidestepped the attack, only to see Shadow appear in a green flash directly in front of him. Quillen charged electricity to his fist, striking downwards at the shorter hedgehog. Shadow easily sidestepped the attack, nailing Quillen in the gut with his own fist, charged in green energy. The force of the attack sent Quillen sliding towards the edge of the bridge, his thorny back ripping through the metal bars.

Quillen pulled out about twenty needles, charging them all with electricity. Shadow just stood there, waiting for the oncoming attack. With a quick gesture, Quillen hurled the needles in Shadow's directions.

It seemed like the needles would have impaled Shadow, but at the last moment Shadow disappeared in a green flash. Quillen panicked, trying to determine where the hedgehog had reappeared. "Where the hell are you?!"

"Up here," came Shadow's voice. He was standing on some thick pipes above the arena, glaring down at robotic porcupine with his arms crossed. In the darkness, it was hard to make out his expression, but he seemed rather arrogant. Zero could tell that he was planning something.

"Come down here and fight!" Quillen shouted, some of the arrogance that he had shown during the fight with Zero replaced with anger.

"No," Shadow said firmly. "That'd be too easy. I'd rather have some fun before I destroy."

Quillen drew more needles, charging them up with electricity. With another quick gesture, he tossed them up at Shadow, who, as Zero predicted, teleported away again. The needles ripped a huge hole in the pipes above, showering that side of the bridge with steaming water.

Shadow reappeared in front of the steaming water. He took up a defensive stance, ready to continue his battle with Quillen.

Quillen laughed at Shadow, though it was clear he was irritated with how this battle was going. "So, you're ready to actually fight now?"

Shadow just taunted Quillen, motioning him to attack, which infuriated him. The Maverick charged at Shadow, his fist charged with electricity. Shadow easily dodged again, then landed an uppercut charged with green energy, launching Quillen upwards. Shadow teleported above and behind, snatching a handful of needles from Quillen's back.

They both dropped back to the ground, Shadow on his feet and Quillen landing flat on his face. Quillen stood up slowly, seeming to growl with anger. "You son of a…"

Quillen turned around, once again trying to hit Shadow with his electrified fist. "Don't you have any other move besides that?" Shadow said, dodging the fist again. He jumped in the air, hovering with his air shoes while slicing at Quillen's face with his fists, then following up with a flip kick which connected to Quillen's chin, knocking him a foot into the air.

Shadow dropped to the floor, then began to charge up for another attack. His fur began to glow red, his spines taking a more demonic shape. He began to hover in the air as ducking has face under his crossed arms as he continued to charge his attack. "This is the end!" Shadow shouted, releasing the stored energy in a huge explosion.

Zero looked away as dust and smoke blew towards him. He was in awe of the power that Shadow had demonstrated, as well as a little worried. He didn't know whose side Shadow was really on, and he wasn't sure that Sonic and others truly knew as well. What was this creature's true purpose?

Zero looked back, the dust from the attack still settling. There was a huge hole where Shadow had been standing. On one side of the hole stood Shadow, staring across the gap he had created. He looked like he was trying hard not to show it, but Zero could tell that Shadow was exhausted, possible from the use of the raw power of his attack. He held his hand behind him, still gripping the needles he had taken from Quillen.

On the opposite side of the gap was Quillen, looking as if he hadn't taken any damage the attack and glaring back at Shadow. He was now directly under the flow of steaming water, but didn't carry a charge. Zero knew that his body was probably designed to withstand any electrical attack, even his own… unless…

Quillen started laughing manically. "Is that all you have?!" he shouted, anger filling his voice. "You could put a hole in the floor, but you couldn't destroy me. You never stood a chance."

Shadow glared at him. "You forgot one thing," he said coldly. There was a brief flash of green light, which quickly dimmed, revealing Shadow standing in the stance as if he had just thrown something. The needles he had held in his hand were gone, now currently placed in Quillen's chest.

Quillen soon found himself paralyzed by the electricity that had been stored in a module in his armor, a needle sticking inches in it. Three more needles stuck in various places in his chest plating, the water covering him acting like a conductor between them. Sparks began to erupt from various spots in Quillen's body as the remaining needles in Quillen's back shot out into the darkness behind him. Shadow and Zero both watched as the Maverick shook violently from minutes on end, and then finally explode, a fatal charge hitting his fusion tank.

Shadow walked over to where Zero had been watching. He stopped inches away, glanced at Zero with an exhausted expression, then collapsed on his back, breathing heavily.

"Shadow, are you alright?" Zero asked concerned.

"Its nothing," Shadow replied weakly. "I'm not used to using these type of Emeralds."

There was a long silence between them, Zero looking over at the destruction from the duel. The crater that he had left was nothing compared the holes from Shadow's devastating attack, as well as Quillen's explosion. He realized that Shadow had won the battle with relative ease, which probably meant that Quillen wasn't pumped up on any Emeralds or Shards. Had Zero been focused, he should have been able to beat him just as easily.

"Was she someone important to you?" Shadow said, catching Zero's attention.

"What?"

Shadow sat up slowly. "This… other robot he was talking about, was she someone you cared about?"

"She was just a comrade of mine, a rookie." Zero looked off into the darkness. "Yet, she was so strong and determined, and yet seemed so sad and alone. She was trying so hard not to dwell on the past." Zero laughed at himself bitterly. "What I'm I saying? I barely knew her."

"And yet," Shadow said, "you loved her?"

Zero sighed. "I wouldn't say that, though I guess I might have if I'd have let it happen. I really didn't want to… because I knew something like this would happen."

Silence fell between them before Shadow asked, "Do you think she'd have wanted this? Just to give up?"

Zero pondered the question before coming up with a simple answer. "No, she wouldn't." He said it with regret in his voice. "I guess I let her down."

"Perhaps there's still time," Shadow said. "The two who remain are heading off to cause more suffering. There's not much time and the odds aren't good. The longer you hang around here, the more lives that will be lost."

Zero sighed. "I don't know if I can…" Zero slowly rose to his feet. He realized he had the use of his arms again, as his auto-repair system had quickly reestablished the connection. "Raptor will most likely be using those Emeralds to power himself. I don't think I can stand up against him… and I don't know if I can handle failing anyone again."

"Then use this," Shadow said. He held out his hand, the blue Emerald in his possession materializing in his palms. "These should even the odds a bit."

"But, don't you…"

"I'm going to stay here and look around for survivors. You head back to the ship and tell them to leave without me; I'll catch up to you later."

"Why?"

Shadow shrugged. "I don't know. There's something inside me that tells me I should." Shadow looked off into the darkness. "Besides, what happened here… I feel that if I stay, I might remember something about my past."

"Your… past…" Zero said, confused. "How do you…"

"I don't need to tell why," Shadow snapped. There was something in his voice that was somewhere between anger and sadness. He sighed, then said, "Just head back to the ship before it's too late."

Zero nodded, then started walking away. "Zero…" Shadow said, making Zero stop in his tracks. "One more thing."

Zero turned to look back. "What?"

"Go easy on the boy," Shadow said. "He needs help convincing himself that he's not at fault for all that's happened… assuming that he survived what happened here."

Zero looked a little surprised. "'Assuming he survived'? What do you mean by that?"  
"You'll find out what I mean when you get back there." Shadow turned away, walking slowly away as the darkness surrounding them engulfed him.

Zero transferred back to the _Comet's _bridge to find only Douglas and Knuckles there. Douglas was seated at the two stations at the bridge's front, busy typing in commands. Knuckles was in back about where Nathan had been when he had left, leaning on what appeared to be a mop while trying to stay composed, the flesh of his snout pale. There was a putrid odor in the air, one that would have made Zero gag.

The door slid open, and Sonic walked through, the casualness he had been carrying around with him gone and replaced with confusion and concern. He paused to look at Knuckles, then sighed, "I didn't know you were that squeamish, Knuckles."

Knuckles gagged, then said, "Neither did I."

Sonic looked towards Zero, who was looking at them. "Hey Zero, where's Shadow?"

"He said he was going to stay behind to look for survivors," Zero said coldly. He held out his hand, the blue Emerald materializing in it. "He said we should get going without him, saying he'll catch up."

Douglas nodded. "Alright, the Captain told us to continue our pursuit as soon as you got back." He quickly typed in a command, causing the image of the freighter to start moving away. "I hope Shadow's able to find someone alive over there…"

Zero sighed as he watched the freighter disappear from sight. "I hope so too." He turned back to Sonic, asking with some concern, "What's up with Nathan?"

Sonic crossed him arms, scornfully looking at Zero. "What? NOW you care?"

Zero shrugged a little. "I guess so. Shadow made a comment about what happened over there might threaten his life."

"He's in a coma," Knuckles said flatly.

"What?!" Zero said, shocked to here this news.

"Yeah," Sonic said. "He looked like he went into shock when that Maverick started killing. Then he collapsed and hurled a couple of times before blacking out. He's been out ever since, and the way the Captain put it, he might not regain consciousness."

Zero sighed, closing his eyes as a sign of regret. "I shouldn't have been so hard on him." He looked back at Sonic, asking, "Where is he now?"

"He's in the infirmary," Knuckles replied. "The Captain's with him."

Sonic chuckled, then added, "Ashura's down there too. Apparently, he doesn't want her taking 'advantage' of the situation."

When Ashura received the word from Sonic that Zero had returned, he told Sonic to bring Zero down to the infirmary, as he had a few questions about Shic's motives that he wanted explained. He knew that it would be anywhere from five minutes to a half hour, depending on how much of a beating Zero had taken and how fast Sonic was going, before either arrived, so he decided he had better do a little confronting beforehand.

When he walked in, he saw Halley where he had seen her last, sitting in the chair next to Nathan's bed, the expression of grave concern still on her face. She was holding onto Nathan's limp hand, squeezing it as if to try to trigger a response.

Nathan lay unmoving in the medical bed. There was a respirator-like devise over his mouth and nose to help him breath, while cords attached to his forehead and arms kept track of his vitals. According to the equipment near the bed, most of his body's functions were fine, but his brain activity was below normal.

Ashura saw Halley run her hand through Nathan's hair, ignoring him as if he wasn't even there. Irritated at this, he cleared his throat, clearly grabbing her attention.

"Sorry," she said, embarrassed by being caught by surprise.

"Zero's back," Ashura said. "Shadow's apparently staying behind to look for survivors, and will catch up to us eventually."

"So we've continued our pursuit of the _Gikuthoc_?" she asked, though her mind was clearly elsewhere.

Ashura sighed, then replied, "Yes."

"Good," Halley hollowly replied.

Ashura started walking to the side of the room, not sure how he should address the question that was on his mind. He stopped, looking up to think of how to put it. "What's up with you?"

"What do you mean?" Halley said, sounding surprised.

"You've been hanging around him like if you were trying to get him to marry you so you could have his kids. You're almost twice his; that's not the way you should be acting."

Halley sighed, looking at Nathan's unconscious face. "Have you ever felt like you were alone in your world, that there was no one else like you?"

Ashura was a little surprised at the question. He paused, thinking of how to answer the question. "I don't know. There have probably been days that I have."

Halley smiled sadly. "For almost twenty years, I've been the only human on the Azhile Homeworld. I wondered what my world was like, wondered what my people were like. I tried to become a ship captain to try to visit my world, but soon found that even then there wasn't much of a chance to see it." She paused, looking at Nathan. "When I pursued the _Gikuthoc_ back at Ochoko, I detected Nathan's life sign aboard the ship. I was surprised at first, wondering why another human was out this far in space. I knew that he was in danger, so I made my priority rescuing him first rather than stopping Shic from escaping." She laughed to herself. "Pretty irresponsible of me, right? Letting someone as dangerous as Shic escape so I could rescue someone just to meet them."

"He probably would have died if you hadn't rescued him," Ashura replied, trying to sound supportive of her decision.

There was a brief period of silence, followed by Halley simply saying, "Perhaps…"

Ashura looked at her quizzically. "'Perhaps'? What do you mean by that?"

Halley was a little startled about his reaction. "Nothing. Where was I?"

Ashura gave her a suspicious look, knowing that she was hiding something. "You rescued us from Ochoko."

"Yes, that was it." She paused to think where she was, then continued, "When I finally caught up to him, I had so many questions, about what home was like, about the people, I guess even about him. I suppose all I really wanted what it was like to be close to one of my own kind." She paused to laugh at herself, sheepishly adding, "But I guess I was trying to bit too hard. You've seemed to have picked up on it easily. I'm guessing Nathan did too, considering he's an empath. He seemed rather nervous when I talked to him on the observation deck."

Ashura gave her a rather suspicious look. "What happened on the observation deck?"

Halley sighed, mildly annoyed at Ashura's persistence. "I told him the reason why I was prevented from heading to earth, about how my life was on Azhile. I asked him what home was like." A stopped for a moment, continuing is a saddened tone, "When he mentioned that there had been a girl with him when Shic abducted, he started crying, worried that he had been unable to protect her. I tried to comfort him, and he ended up hugging me…"

"He hugged you?"

She chuckled "Yeah, it surprised me a bit. I think he just felt he needed a shoulder to cry on."

"And that's all that happened?"

"Yes," she replied. She blushed with embarrassment, adding, "It was a little peculiar when he fell asleep while I was holding him." She looked at Ashura. "I know you probably don't trust me, but I promise you, I'd never do anything to hurt Nathan."

"Right now, I'm not sure if I should believe you," Ashura said flatly. "Nathan's gone through so much already that I'm worried about how he's going to handle the strain when he recovers physically. The emotional strain his empathy puts on him enough already, but he's blaming himself for everyone's suffering. I worry that if you were to be too supportive of him, he may take it the wrong way… and you might end up doing something you both regret."

"I wouldn't do anything like that," Halley snapped. The look in her eyes made Ashura wonder if he was going too hard on her.

"You probably believe that," Ashura replied. He walked to the opposite side of the room, leaning against the wall. He contemplated if he should keep the conversation going, or if he should just drop it. There were other things that bothered him that he needed answers to, more important than the ones he just addressed.

"Anyways," he said after a few minutes of silence, "Nathan's condition is probably something we should deal with when he recovers. Right now, Shic's our main concern. The main question is what he's planning, and probably more importantly why."

"So you're asking to know the whole story behind this?" Halley asked. "What exactly happened between the Ghannof and Chellosua that resulted in the destruction of an entire race?" She paused. "Well, from what I've been told, the whole series of events started almost a thousand years ago, when a war started between the two races…"

Shadow walked in the darkness of the Ghannof freighter. He had spent hours searching the lower levels of the ship, finding mostly blood pools and trails, most leading out towards the cargo bay where he fought the Maverick. He did find a few bodies, but most were impaled with quills or charred and unrecognizable. The smell of burnt flesh and blood hung in the air, making his stomach turn. He had become used to it, though that thought was something that bothered him.

He had been making his way up to the bridge, knowing that any hope of survivors was essentially gone. He tried not to think of it, and for some reason found it unusually easy. Among all this death, he found himself feeling cold, as if he didn't give a damn about what happened here. Why was ignoring his feelings so easy?

He sighed, deciding it'd be best to ponder these questions later. His priority was to try to catch up with the _Halley's Comet_, which should in turn catch up to the _Gikuthoc_. That's at least what he hoped.

The door to the bridge didn't slide open when he walked in front of it, something that had happened to just about every door on the ship. He wondered if someone had managed to seal it off to prevent the Maverick from entering and killing everyone who was on the bridge. Looking down at the floor suggested otherwise, as a small pool of glowing blood came oozing out between the shutters.

He managed to get his fingers between the shutters, pulling them apart with surprising ease. A demonic corpse came falling his way, nearly landing on top of him. While he was a little startled, he had been expecting it.

The sight of the horror on the bridge was also what he had expected, but was still made his stomach turn. The dark room was nearly coated from floor to ceiling in glowing purple blood, with the smell of burnt flesh still heavy in the air. There where at least five bodies on the floor, three males and two females, killed either by being impaled by needles, shocked to death, dismembered, or all of the above. A couple of the bodies seemed to have been killed in an executioner's fashion, like if they were on their knees when they died.

The captain's chair was coated in glowing purple blood, and even in the darkness Shadow could see the captain's decapitated corpse still sitting in the chair. Shadow made the assumption that this was where Quillen struck first, probably taking the captain out before he had any time to react.

Shadow just walked across the glowing sea of blood, looking for something that looked like the navigator's station. However, as he moved past the captain's chair, he thought he saw something move in the darkness. He looked over just in time to see a laser blast shoot past his face. He doubled back, trying to figure out where his attacker was.

He crouched down, slowly peaking out from the side of the chair. He didn't see anyone, but he could hear the sound someone breathing frantically, probably afraid for their life.

"Who's there?" Shadow said, trying not to sound cold. "I'm here to help."

He saw what looked like someone reaching around the side of the chair, holding a small pistol-like weapon. He ducked behind, watching a laser shot hit the wall in the distance. The trajectory was off by a lot, so he assumed that whoever was shooting at him was inexperienced at combat, not to mention scared for their life.

Shadow knew his only option was to try to confront whoever was shooting at him, in hopes of disarming them. He didn't completely like the idea, as he wasn't sure how much he could hold back. He closed his eyes, quieting his breathing to allow him to focus on the sound of his unfortunate opponent's breathing. From his estimate, he guessed that they were on the other side of the chair.

With one quick motion, he leapt over the chair backwards, landing right next to his attacker. The attacker's pistol was soon pointed at his face, but his immediate action was to grab their arm, applying enough pressure to force them to drop it.

He was a little startled to see who is attacker was. Their stature was shorter than he was by probably a good half a foot. Their eyes were glowing brighter than the corpses had been, but they carried the expression of fear and sadness, as well as the pain from Shadow's grip. Tears ran down their cheeks as the sobbed loudly, sounding like that of a scared child, something that managed to brake through ice he had placed on his heart.

"My god," he muttered as he let go of their arm. As he watched the figure rub their arm in some attempt to relax the pain, he felt tears start to well up. "You're just a…"


	4. Episode 4 Confrontation

Shic finally gets some development, and the background about what's been going on in the central universe. This is also the end of the first and only complete story arc. And its also one of my shorter stories.

And the "Live and Learn" was another one of those "it seemed like a good idea as a time" things.

Brief credits:  
- Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, and related Sonic the Hedgehog elements are property of Sega and Sonic Team.  
- Zero, Douglas, and related Megaman X elements are property of Capcom.  
- All original characters and elements are my property and may not be used.  
- Ashura the Hedgehog is technically not my character, but I do claim this version of him. Granted, I'm not sure what the rules are for characters based on glitches are...  
- Anything else I missed... well, you know...  
- I'd like to thank my cousin Jake for support.  
- James Bond will return.

* * *

**Universal Link  
Confrontation**

Shic stood on the bridge of the _Gikuthoc_, staring out into open space. The stars rushed by, distorted by the effects of traveling faster than light. His target lie ahead, probably one the unmoving stars in the distance. In a matter of hours, he'd have the power to exact the revenge that was centuries in the making.

He thought back to why he was doing this. He remembered back quite a long ways when he was just a child, the last time he wasn't alone. He remembered his father taking them to an area of space that had long since been abandoned by any race. There his father had hoped to find something that would give them the same power that he was looking for now. However, when they reached their destination, there was nothing but asteroids, the remains of a planet that had been destroyed long ago.

His father had been furious at this revelation. Shic had seen him start to cry, something that he hadn't seen for years, ever since his mother had died. He had paced around the bridge, contemplating what he should do. Then, he had looked up and walked off the bridge. As he disappeared behind the door, his father had said one last thing: "Shic, remember who's responsible for our suffering. Promise me that you'll make them pay someday."

That was the last time he saw his father. It had to have been three centuries since then, and all this time his hatred for what the Ghannof did to his race had grown immensely. He knew this is what his father had wanted, letting the emptiness around him feed his rage. It was such a sinister thing to do a child, and it had worked.

"So," said Pillaging Raptor, interrupting Shic's thoughts, "what are we planning to do when we reach this colony?"

Shic sighed. He didn't really like this Maverick he had let on his ship. In fact, he didn't trust him, as he knew that in the end he'd only be a liability. "There's a weapon of immense power hidden on that colony. Considering the current state of the Ghannof Empire, it shouldn't be too much a problem getting it. However, it hasn't been used for half a millennia, so I need the power of the Emerald Shards to power it."

"Then you're saying that you need my Shards?" Raptor said. "Do you have something in exchange? I'd rather not have to fight the Maverick Hunter without knowing I have some sort of trump card."

Shic held out his hands. Light began emanating from each palm, eventually condensing into the form of two gems.

Raptor grabbed one of the gems with his claw, studying it. "Where'd you get these?"

Shic laughed. "I stole them from a human back on Ochoco. He was charged with their power, which seemed to have blinded him. He tried fighting me, and when he thought he was getting close to beating me, I killed him."

"Nice," Raptor said. "How'd you kill him? Was there a lot of blood?"

The malevolent look in Raptor's eyes was the very reason Shic felt he needed to be disposed of. Inside that Maverick's thick metallic skull was probably a brain programmed to think only one thing, and that was blood. It didn't matter what kind of blood, as long as there was lots of it. He didn't even need to see it; just imagining it seemed to be enough to drive him up a wall. This thinking was perfect for nothing more than a distraction to keep anyone from interfering with his plans, but once he had the weapon Raptor would be useless.

"Bah," Shic said, "I don't need to tell you these things. Just give me the Shards you have."

Raptor looked at Shic, then the gems. "Okay, but on one condition."

Shic sighed in annoyance. "Name your condition."

"Once you've finished getting you're revenge, you hand the weapon over to me. I'm sure my boss could find an excellent use for it."

"Fine, do whatever you wish," Shic lied. Not that it mattered to him anyways.

Raptor held out his empty claw, and five Shards appeared. Shic took each Shard, then handed Raptor the other gem. Raptor quickly absorbed both gems. "These aren't nearly as strong as the Shards. However, they'll do."

Shic smirked. He looked back out at the stars, thinking back to the past. "Could you please leave the bridge?" Shic said. "I'd prefer to be alone."

Raptor bobbed his head. "As you wish."

Raptor walked away from Shic, whom watched his reflection in the screen. Shic didn't like not having someone like Raptor out of his sight, but he felt he needed time to reflect.

Shic thought back to Nathan, the empath he had met on Earth. He knew why Nathan was so important to the mysterious figure that had ordered him to find him. What he didn't understand was why he wanted Shic to retrieve him when he could have easily done it himself.

He had shielded himself from Nathan, wanting to keep the boy out. He didn't like the idea of someone reading his emotions, and he knew that if Nathan could sense the hatred that overflowed in Shic heart, he might have tried to get him to open up. And if he was able to get him to open up, he probably would have convinced him from exacting his revenge.

He wondered what happened to Nathan. Shic knew that he probably lived, considering what he was. He also knew that he had been probably rescued by the human captain of the Azhile ship, along with anyone else who was stranded on that planet. And if Nathan did survive the injuries he had taken at Ochoko, did he survive the shock of the massacre on the Ghannof freighter? I'd be a shame if he hadn't…

Shic shook his head, shaking his head of such silly thoughts. He wondered for a second why he was wondering about what happened to someone who was nothing more than an insignificant gnat to him, completely ignoring the fact what it had been like to have someone who wasn't machine to talk to after being alone for some long and replacing it with the hatred that consumed him.

He looked straight out into space ahead, narrowing his eyes to glare at one of the stars. "Vengeance is mine."

* * *

Ashura sat on the far end of the shuttle, spinning the small metal cylinder between his fingers. The silence that had come over everyone as soon as they reached the orbit of the colony was deafening, making his spines stick on end. The coming battle would be a tough one, that much could be assured.

Ashura leaned back, thinking about what Captain Halley had told him, Sonic, and Zero back on the ship. If what she told them was true, then these Ghannof had a lot of this coming.

According to what Halley had told them, the Chellosua and the Ghannof were at one time considered the galaxy's symbols of good and evil, with the peace-wanting Chellosua being the good, and the warrior-like Ghannof being the evil. They had been engaged in a long and blood holy war for almost a thousand years, one that killed billions of lives.

However, things seemed to have taken a turn for the worst when the Ghannof came up with a weapon that could create and destroy black holes. With this weapon, they destroyed the entire Chellosua armada, and eventually the entire Chellosua system. In fact, the only thing that remains of the Chellosua homeworld is a massive black hole.

The war had ended almost five centuries earlier. For some time, the Ghannof continued the reign of terror, conquering almost a third of the galaxy.

However, it wasn't until three centuries ago that they had realized the blood on their hands. Even during their reign, they had never completely annihilated another race like they had the Chellosua. When they realized this, the ones in power declared that their empire cease any military activities, essentially throwing away their weapons for a more peaceful way of life.

It took time, but after about a century and a half, most of the Ghannof race had become a strongly religious race, begging forgiveness from the rest of the galaxy for the sin they had committed. Most races did, and established trade with the one-time vile race. However, many races, whom had fallen victim to the growing Grey threat pleaded for the Ghannof's help, only to be turned down. The Ghannof were one of the few races, if not the only race, with a natural immunity to the Greys, which could easily have made them the power that could tip the scales in the galaxy's favor. Why they took no interest in the growing threat was unknown.

Ashura was uncertain about what how he felt about the situation. In a lot of ways, he felt the destruction of the Ghannof at the hands of the last surviving Chellosua would be a fitting end to their existence. At the same time, however, he didn't like the fact that part of his Master Emerald was going to be used in this destruction.

Sonic felt mostly the opposite about this. He believed that a large number of the Ghannof probably weren't even born with the destruction took place. If this were true, then the sins of their ancestor's shouldn't be passed down to them.

Zero's opinion was along the lines of Ashura's, though he stated that he didn't care about what happened by Shic's hands, and that his primary goal was Raptor's destruction. However, the look that Zero had in his eyes seemed to say otherwise, as if what he had seen on the Ghannof freighter still sickened him.

This was nearly a day ago. Now, they were heading into the atmosphere of the colony, just minutes away from touching down. Halley had handed command of the _Comet_ over to Douglas, telling him to take the ship as far away from the colony as possible. Nathan had still been in a coma when they left, but Halley had stated that she didn't know if he'd be able to survive sensing anyone else die.

Ashura could tell it was hard for Halley to leave Nathan's side. He still didn't know if what she had told him about her feelings for Nathan were true or not, but if they were then he believed could understand.

"Wow, its sure dark," Sonic said, snapping Ashura back to reality.

"I don't like the look of this place," Knuckles said.

"Yes, I know," Halley replied. "The Ghannof have set up an artificial eclipse on this colony. Back on the Ghannof Homeworld, the planet's entire surface is nearly covered by darkness thanks to a year-round eclipse. In most cases, the Ghannof have adjusted their colonies by creating a system that creates the same effect. There are many members of the race who have adapted to the light of other worlds, though the transition is never easy."

"A dark race from a dark world," grumbled Zero. "No wonder everyone thought that they were evil."

Moments of eerie, uneasy silence followed. There was a lot of tension, the uncertainty of what the next few hours would hold fresh on everyone's mind. There was a good possibility that they might not survive, which for most was a tough concept to grasp. They were in what was a universe that was alien to them, and they were putting their lives on the line for a people they didn't know, and probably wouldn't have known if it weren't for an odd twist of fate.

Sonic must have become irritated at this notion, or just bored out of his mind. He began tapping his toe on the floor of the shuttle, humming a bit of a melody. Knuckles was quick to pick up on this, and also began tapping his toe in a similar rhythm.

Zero looked at them with a puzzled expression. "What are you two doing?"

Sonic didn't change his expression. Instead, he began to sing, "_Can you feel life, movin' through your mind? Ooh, looks like it came back from more! Yeah!_"

Knuckles chimed in, adding to Sonic's song, "_Can you feel time, slippin' down your spine? Ooh, you're try and try to ignore! Yeah!_"

They then sang unison, "_But you can hardly swallow, your fears and pain. When you can't help but follow…_"

Knuckles stopped singing, as Sonic soloed, "_It puts you right back where you came!"_

They both stopped for a moment, realizing the stares they were receiving from everyone. Finally, Sonic said, "That's 'Live and Learn.' Its one of the songs I wrote."

"I see," Zero said. "Not exactly the liveliest song."

"Its more upbeat with the proper music," Sonic replied sheepishly. "If we all survive this and manage to get home in one piece, remind me to invite you do a concert sometime."

"I think I'll pass," Zero said coldly.

A sense of gloom filled the shuttle's cabin. There was a sharp finality to Zero's words, one that made Ashura's spines quiver. Did he doubt any of them would survive? Was this impending battle all going to be in vein?

* * *

The armory that Shic was standing in was a lot larger than he had been expecting. It was the shape of a large dome, stretching about a mile wide. The walls were made of a cold black stone, which glowed a greenish hue under the night-vision goggles he wore.

The chamber was littered from floor to ceiling with outdated military equipment, centuries of dust covering each piece. On the ground level, there were steel crates that most likely contained hand weapons and explosives as well as old ground craft. The upper levels were like massive shelves against the wall, littered with old military fighters and parts of heavier spacecraft, probably dismantled to conserve space.

In the center of this graveyard stood the very thing that Shic had come looking for. A large cannon-like devise stood like a forsaken monument, a symbol of atrocities gone unpunished. It was held into place by metal clamps that had been welded to the floor, as well as large metal chains that tried to reinforce the clamps. Feet in front of the weapon stood a plaque, stating something in the Ghannof language.

Shic smashed the sign aside to get a better look at the weapon. He realized that most of its wires and plugs were exposed, as it had been removed from the ship it had been equipped to. He studied the plugs, cursing in realization that his ship was not compatible with this ancient Ghannof technology.

He stopped for a moment, thinking about how he'd deal with this dilemma. He knew that in any moment he have company. If it was the Ghannof, he knew that they might just allow themselves to be slaughtered without much of a fight. What he worried about more was that human captain in command of that Azhile ship. She herself wouldn't be a problem, but if she had received backup from the rest of the Azhile fleet he knew he'd be in trouble. He doubted this, considering most of the galaxy didn't take Earth people seriously.

Then there was the possibility that bothered him. She had definitely made a stop at Ochoko and picked up everyone who had been stranded there. He remembered his fight with that "Knuckles" character, and how he had actually broke a sweat. If there were more like Knuckles, he knew he could find himself with his hands full real easily.

He came up with two choices: he could find a ship compatible with this weapon, or he could take it and try to hotwire it so he could use it on the _Gikuthoc_. Neither choice would be easy, and there was a lot of risk to both. However, he had come a long way, and was not about to go away empty handed.

He walked away, looking around for a ship that wasn't dismantled that might handle this weapon. He didn't have a lot of time left before company arrived.

He didn't realize what little time he actually had.

* * *

Zero walked out of the shuttle, taking in his surroundings. Everyone had already exited the shuttle, standing feet away. However, he could barely make out their forms, as planet was much darker than a night during a new moon. The only major light source was the interior lighting of the shuttle, and that had been dimmed in order to minimize their chances of being seen or detected.

He prepared to take a step, then paused, realizing how easy it would to trip over somebody and make himself look unprofessional. He closed his eyes, letting his optic software activate special lens in his eyes. When he opened them, he had a combination of night and infrared vision, which, to a human, would have looked like a distorted mess.

He could clearly see one of the hedgehogs in front of him, his shorter spines indicating he was Ashura. Zero continued slowly, trying not to startle him. He noticed that Ashura was holding a binocular-shaped device in his hands, trying to find some way of equipping himself with it.

"This isn't going to work," Knuckles muttered in the distance. Zero glanced in that direction, seeing the dreadlocked echidna holding another pair.

Zero heard Halley sigh, then say, "I'm sorry, but we didn't have enough time to prepare equipment for this confrontation. We have to make do with what we have or figure something out along the way."

"Hey, maybe this will work!" Sonic shouted, getting everyone attention. Zero looked to see the other hedgehog wearing two sets of binoculars, one over each eye.

Knuckles shook his head. "You look like an idiot."

"That's too risky," Ashura said. "You're likely to poke your eyes out like that."

"You have any better ideas?" Knuckles replied.

Zero glanced at Ashura, surprised to see the hedgehog taking apart the night vision goggles. Ashura stopped, studying some of the parts. "Do you have anything that's like duct tape and form?"

"I think so," Halley replied. "Why?"

"Give me ten minutes and I think I can make this work."

"We don't have that kind of time!" Zero shouted. He was getting a little annoyed at the fact that they were taking so long to get ready.

"I know," Ashura replied, a little annoyed at the reploid. "That's why I was going to take it with me."

"Actually, Zero," Halley said patiently, "we should try planning out a plan of attack before we proceed too far. If we rush into a conflict, then--"

"No thanks," Zero interrupted. "My target is Raptor and Raptor only. You can handle Razorboy on your own."

"But…"

"Just leave him alone, Captain," Sonic said with an irritated tone in his voice. "If he doesn't feel like being part of the team, then let him do what he wants. He can probably take care of himself anyways."

There was a moment of silence, then Halley replied with a saddened tone, "Fine. Have it you're way." He pulled a small handheld scanning devise out of her pocket, studied it, then pointed towards a city in the distance. "Your enemy is in the city over there, closest to the north-east side. It appears he's taken refuge in a tram station." Zero could see the color drain from Halley's face, even with the high-tech lens in his eyes. "It appears that he's killing anyone in his vicinity. You'd better be quick."

Zero nodded, then turned to start walking towards the city. He paused, saying, "If it means anything, I hope to meet you all again, when the circumstances aren't so dire."

There was a bit of a silence, then he heard Sonic chuckle. "Good luck to you too, Hunter!"

Zero didn't turn around, but for some reason felt a smile cross his face. He had definitely run into the most bizarre cast of characters since the early days of the Maverick Hunters, the days when Sigma was still sane. And there was this nagging feeling that he had in his gut, that they'd all come out of this alive.

As he continued to walk away, he heard Halley say, "Whatever you do, don't look up at the sun."

Sonic then said, "Why?" There was about a second of a pause, then Sonic said, apparently after being temporarily blinded, "Oh geez!"

"That's why…" Ashura replied.

Zero chuckled, wondering if that nagging feeling was wrong.

It was a matter of minutes before Zero had reached the city. What he saw he expected, but still couldn't help but to be disturbed. Corpses lay everywhere in pools of glowing blood, most with glowing gashes from being sliced or stabbed, some missing limbs, heads, or both. Most of the bodies looked like they had been caught totally by surprised, but a few were positioned in a sacrificial pose – something that disturbed Zero even more.

He glanced around, taking in his surroundings. The buildings that stood around him were larger than he had really expected, and were made of a cold stone. He read many heat sources from within, and in the ghostly silence of the city, he swore he could hear the sounds of crying or moaning, most sounding small and quiet, like a child's sobbing. This gave Zero a heart-wrenching feeling, as if he had arrived too late. It also reassured him a little, as it indicated that there were still survivors.

He followed what he believed was a path that Raptor had left him, trying his best not to look at the corpses. The infrared part of his vision indicated that all the bodies were still warm, probably because of the chemical or hormone that gave their blood the glowing effect. His night-vision gave him more detail of what gender or ages the bodies were, which he didn't want to know.

He stopped feet away from the structure that Halley had mentioned. It appeared to be designed in a similar fashion as most of Earth's train stations, though the darkness gave it an unsettling feeling.

Like just about everywhere else he had been in the city, the station was littered with alien corpses and glowing blood. The worst part of the station was the interior, where bodies looked like they had been thrown onto heaps, massive pools of blood forming at their base. Zero had been hoping that the freighter would have been the worst scene for all this, but he discovered here he was wrong.

He suddenly heard a scream, which was soon cut short with a loud slicing sound. He turned his head, seeing the beastly silhouette that he already knew was Raptor. He dashed off in that general direction, trying to catch up to Raptor before he could do kill anyone else.

He reached the door of the train-like vehicle and quickly kicked it in. It was lit in a similar fashion like the freighter, which allowed Zero to deactivate his vision sensors. The seats on the train had been literally torn apart, the edges of each glowing with purple bloodstains.

"Welcome, Maverick Hunter," said a familiar raspy voice from behind Zero.

He turned to see the insane dinoreploid that had retired Dee and nearly retired him back at Ochoko standing next the exit of the train car. He looked almost the way Zero had seem him last, except that the crimson blood was now replace by glowing violet blood. The insane look was still in his eyes as well.

"I hope," Raptor said, "that this is the last time I'll have to deal with you."

Zero slowly removed the saber from its slot in his back, activating it. "Same here."

* * *

Ashura approached the center of the armory, where Shic stood facing away from him as he worked on the weapon. He had his staff drawn, and his body was tense, ready for what could easily be his last battle.

Knuckles walked along side him, his fists clenched. He looked very nervous, something that Ashura could see even in the darkness of the dimly lit armory. He knew that Knuckles had already fought Shic once, and had faired poorly. If it wasn't for Nathan's actions back on Ochoco, Ashura would probably be confronting Shic alone.

Ashura thought back to before they entered the armory, about their plans for stopping Shic. It had been a lengthy discussion, with the main plan being Halley, with the aid of one of the others, to go around and disable the weapon while the remaining two would confront Shic, possibly even fighting him to buy some time. The idea of destroying the weapon was brought up, but Halley dismissed it as Shic may have already powered the weapon, thus making its destruction threaten not only their lives, but also all the lives on the planet.

Sonic had volunteered to confront Shic, eagerly insisting that his speed may be enough to keep him occupied. Ashura didn't like this eagerness, which he told Sonic, suggesting that he help Halley. His speed would be an asset, as he could get to the weapon sooner and probably have it disabled before Shic would have time to blink, at least that's the way Ashura put it.

Sonic had laughed at this, saying that Ashura was probably just trying to play the role of big brother, trying to keep the little brother out of trouble—an analogy that was perhaps correct. However, Ashura had made a logical point, so Sonic accepted this plan.

Knuckles didn't like where he ended up in the plan, not only because of his strong disliking of the elder hedgehog, but also because of his past battle with Shic. Sonic, trying to sound positive on this matter, suggested his experience might end up being beneficial, as he'd know some of what Shic would have in store. On top of that, he and Ashura were probably the strongest of the team, and teaming up would probably give them a better shot at winning. Knuckles reluctantly agreed to this.

Now they were inside the armory, ready to test out how well this strategy would work.

Shic looked up from his work to see the two of them standing there. "So," Shic said in an arrogant and annoyed tone, "you decided to bring back-up, Mr. Knuckles."

Knuckles grunted. "I really didn't have a choice in the matter. It was his Emerald that you have part of; I really can't stand him otherwise."

"I see," Shic said. "So you being here is just for payback, is it?"

"Mostly," Knuckles replied. "I'm here to get you back for wasting me back on that planet. I'm also here in the absence of Nathan and all the people you slaughtered. I feel that I'm in someway responsible for all that's happened, so I've got to do something to make up for all of this."

"Just what are your plans anyways?" Ashura said, cutting off any chance of reply from Shic. "Once you've gotten your revenge that you've been waiting for, what are you going to do with the weapon, and the Emerald Shards you're using to power it?"

Shic paused in thought. "I really haven't thought about it. Maybe start a new empire of my own. Or maybe rid the universe of the growing plague that's sweeping across it. I'll worry about it when the time comes."

"So most likely you'll be using the Shards to do more harm?"

Shic shrugged. "Possibly. I can't say for certain, but I can't imagine settling down after such an easy victory."

"I see…" Ashura moved backwards, taking up a defensive stance. "Well, I can't let that happen. You've stained the Shards of the Emerald more than I can stand already. I can't permit to continue."

Knuckles took up a defensive stance as well, preparing himself for combat. "I don't care about what cost this battle will have, all that matters is that we stop you. It's all or nothing."

Shic sneered, pointing his palm towards them. Light slowly began to form a ball, which they thought was intended for them. However, at the last second he swung his arm to the left, releasing his sphere towards someone else. Both Ashura and Knuckle looked in horror as the attack traveled towards Halley, who had been out of sight for the entire conversation. She stood there frozen, unable to move as the blast traveled towards her at an incredible velocity.

Just before the blast hit her in the chest, she toppled sideways and Sonic tried to push her aside. The attack clipped her should, burning away a good portion of flesh, as well as inciting a blood-curdling scream from its victim.

Ashura and Knuckles stared in disbelief at what had just transpired. Shic just sneered at them. "Did you really think I'd fall for this trick?" He raised his arm up, snapping his fingers with a dramatic flare. This activated a force field around the entire center of the armory, surrounding everyone who would take part in this charade.

Ashura and Knuckles quickly looked around in disbelief at what was happening. They quickly turned their attention back to Shic, whom had struck a defensive stance as well. "Let's get this over with. I don't have time for you."

They rushed forwards, both taking swipes at Shic, Knuckles aiming for Shic's gut with his fists while Ashura swiped at Shic's head with his staff. Shic dodged the staff and blocked the punch, at which Knuckles leapt in the air, aiming at Shic's face, while Ashura tried jabbing Shic in the gut. Shic blocked Ashura's jab, but caught Knuckles' fist, giving him a quick toss to the side. Knuckles landed just short of the field's boundary.

Ashura tried to capitalize on Shic's focus on Knuckles, taking a swipe at his feet with enough force to knock a normal human down. However, while Shic didn't try to dodge, he wasn't even fazed by the attack. Shic just glared down at Shic with an annoyed expression.

Ashura quickly swung his staff upwards, trying to connect to Shic's chin. Shic once again sidestepped, and quickly swung his fist out, connecting with Ashura's face. The force from the impact was enough to send Ashura sliding across the floor, but not enough to make him fall.

Shic glared at Ashura as the hedgehog straighten his stance, annoyed at Ashura's resilience. He then turned his attention to Knuckles, who was still lying on the floor, apparently dazed by Shic's toss. "So you two are enemies I take it?"

Ashura wasn't really sure how to answer this. "We're not really enemies," he said with a hint on uncertainty. "It's just that… I can't stand being around him."

Shic nodded in interest. "Really? And why is this?"

Ashura thought about it for a moment. "I can't really say why. It's like he a ghost of someone from a past life, one that I've been trying to forget." Ashura looked up, seeing that the palm of one of Shic's hands was glowing with white energy.

Shic sneered back at Ashura. "A ghost, you say? Well, maybe should do you a favor and send him to the void. That way he won't be either of our problems."

Shic began to walk over to Knuckles, who looked up at him with a dazed expression on his face. The realization of what Shic was about to do soon hit him, but he stayed where he was, unable to move due the degree of panic that had overcome him.

Ashura began to rush forward, trying to stop Shic from carrying out his deed. As he did, he noticed someone charging at Shic incredible speed, and soon realized who it was. He opened his mouth to shout, but found he didn't have time to say anything.

Sonic rushed at Shic at top speed, an expression of anger and desperation clearly on his face. His gloves were red with blood, most likely from Halley, making Ashura worry about the captain's state.

Sonic leapt at him when he was just feet away, trying to land a solid punch to Shic's face. Shic quickly slapped him aside with his open arm, hitting him with enough force to send him flying across the room and right through the force field, finally coming to rest after hitting the far wall, where Sonic crumpled to the floor.

The sight of seeing his younger sibling smacked aside like he was nothing more than a doll made Ashura snap. He rushed Shic, trying to use whatever time he had to catch him off-guard from Sonic's attack. When he was practically up to him, he leapt in the air, slashing his staff rapidly at Shic's face. Shic put his arms up, shielding himself from Ashura's rapid strikes.

Ashura landed after about six strikes, then quickly followed up with a quick blast of energy aimed at Shic's midsection. The attack created enough force to send Shic sliding backwards a few feet, but Shic had shrugged off most of the attack.

Trying not to give the alien a chance to recover, Ashura rushed forwards again, jabbing forwards at Shic with his staff. Shic caught it, then like Zero had tried back on Ochoko, tossed the staff overhead with Ashura still hanging on. However, unlike Zero, Shic was success, tossing both staff and hedgehog up in the air.

Ashura took a guess at what Shic's next move was, focusing energy into his palms. He looked down to see Shic pointing one of his palms upwards, light glowing from it.

"Hey!" Knuckles shouted, interrupting the battle. He was back on his feet, holding a large crate over his head. It was clear what his purpose was.

Shic swung his arm downwards to aim at Knuckles. As soon as he did, Knuckles tossed the crate with all the strength he had left, trying to put enough speed on it so it hit Shic before he had a chance to fire off his blast. A second later, both Shic and the still airborne Ashura released their energy attacks.

Shic's blast collided with the crate, which was yards away from where the echidna was standing. The crate exploded, creating a huge blast that sent Knuckles through the forcefield, landing opposite of the where the unconscious Sonic was laying.

Ashura's blast just barely hit Shic, whom had been also knocked backwards from the blast as well. Ashura hoped that the combination of the shock from the explosion and his own attack was enough to weaken his opponent.

When he landed, he found out otherwise. Shic was struggling to get to his feet, but Ashura could sense that he still had a lot of fight left in him. There was an expression of pure rage on his face, but also a smirk, as if he had one more trick up his sleeve.

Then he disappeared in a green flash, only to reappear seconds later, his foot connecting with Ashura's chin, practically launching the hedgehog into the air. There was another flash, then Ashura found himself flying across the room.

He crashed against one of the crates that littered the room, then fell to the floor face first. He slowly rose to his feet, the strong taste of blood in his mouth. His ribs hurt bad, and guessed that they had been fractured by Shic's attack, if not broken.

He glared in disbelief at Shic, who sneered at him arrogantly. "I… can't believe it…" he muttered. "That was… Chaos Control?!"

"So that's what you call it…" Shic remarked. "I found out the time-altering properties of the Emeralds well before this battle started, first from Knuckles, then from the Maverick. In fact, I had been practicing on mastering the technique. I've emulated it perfectly, wouldn't you agree?"

Ashura didn't reply. He was nearly out of tricks, and most of the one's he had left wouldn't help him in this battle. There was no way he was going to win.

At this thought, he shook off the fatigue and wariness and stood up straighter, getting ready to continue the fight. He spat out the blood that was in his mouth, then quickly wiped it from his lips. The battle may have been lost, but he wasn't going down easily.

Shic saw this, then sighed. "Don't you know when to quit?" He pointed his light-filled palm at Ashura, at which Ashura copied, charging his own palms with red energy. They glared at each other for a moment, then simultaneously released their attacks.

There was an explosion from the blasts, forcing Ashura to shield his face from all the dust and smoke. When it cleared, he didn't see Shic anywhere. He knew the attack couldn't been enough to destroy him.

Shic, proving him right, reappeared behind him, quickly smashing him in the back of the head with enough force to send him flying forward. He then warped in front of him, smashing him into the air with a slicing vertical kick.

Ashura tried to regain his balance in midair, but found that Shic had teleported practically underneath him, grabbing his foot. He spun Ashura around in the air a couple times, then threw him in the direction of a number of crates. Ashura smashed through them, sending weapons and metal flying in all directions.

Ashura lay in the heap of ammunition, barely able to keep conscious. He struggled one last time to get to his feet, only to find that once he had that Shic was about to unleash one final energy attack on Ashura. The hedgehog had no more energy to fight, nor enough to even more. He stood in the heap, defeated after giving it his all.

Shic smirked at him. "To be fair, you have been the most challenging opponent I've encountered thus far. Its been an honor to fight you, but letting this battle go on any further would just delay the inevitable." Shic's face turned cold, and the light that glowed from his palm glowed brighter. Ashura knew he only had seconds to live…

However, at the last moment, someone grabbed Shic from behind, forcing his palm to aim downwards. Shic was caught completely off-guard by this, then glared back in hatred at whoever was restraining him, only to stare in disbelief at who was the one controlling his movement.

Ashura was shocked to see who this person was as well. He still looked like he was in shock from what happened on the freighter, but was in much better shape than Ashura had last seen him in. In fact, there was a look of determination on his face.

The person trying to keep Shic restrained was Nathan.

* * *

Raptor lunged at Zero, smashing into the Maverick Hunter headfirst. Zero managed to withstand most of the attack, sliding from one side of the train car to the other while standing, causing sparks to fly as his feet scraped against the metal floor.

Zero was rather beaten up, even though most was still damage from the past couple of fights that his auto-repair system had yet to fix. His armor was scraped or scratched up, with plenty of deep cuts in his arms, shoulders, and legs. Some of the crystals on his armor had been cracked as well, the lights behind them refracting at odd angles. His left arm was limp, and his left wrist was torn up badly from being jammed in Raptor's jaws. His long blond braid of hair lay on the floor in the middle of the car, with a bit of his helmet still attached.

Zero had been holding his own in this fight. Raptor didn't seem quite as strong as he had been back at Ochoko, but he still had about twice as much power as Zero. Zero was trying his best to keep up, even to the point where he felt he was slowing down time to do so.

However, he hadn't landed many attacks on Raptor, and had taken most of Raptor's attacks instead. He felt that he was in a lop-sided battle, with the odds heavily against him. He felt his determination waning, uncertain that he could keep going at this rate.

Raptor rushed at Zero again. Zero tried to slash horizontally with his saber, but Raptor ducked, then smashed Zero upwards with the nose of his head, knocking the Maverick Hunter into the air. Before Zero had a chance to recover, he found himself flying across the room into yet another train car. He landed hard, sliding across the floor and coming to a stop a little more than halfway into the train car.

A flash of red caught Zero's attention. He looked underneath the seat to see a pair of small red eyes staring at him. The eyes belonged to a child who was cowering under the seat, an expression of complete terror on his face. He appeared to have been frozen in fear by Zero, tears streaming down in his face.

Zero tried to ignore him, hoping that the boy would make a run for it when he confronted Raptor again. However, as he prepared to get up, a large energy blade came flying in Zero direction, destroying every seat that was in its way. Zero laid back down, the blade passing just a foot over his face.

It took out the seat the child had been hiding under as well, removing any form of cover he had. His reaction was to cover his head with his hands in a feeble attempt to protect himself from any harm that may come his way.

Raptor laughed at the child's reaction. "I figured I'd leave at least one survivor," he said to Zero, whom sat of the floor, a look of anger on his face. "I wanted to see the look on your face while I killed them when you were helpless."

Zero rose to his feet slowly, pointing the saber at Raptor. The next thing he knew, he was sailing across the room again, away from where he had been standing. As he flew, he saw Raptor standing where he had been, almost a foot away from the helpless child. He grabbed one of the few seats still standing, trying desperately to reverse his path as Raptor raised his claw.

There was a sudden flash, and the next thing Zero saw was Raptor getting sent sailing back into the car he had just come from. About where he had been standing hovered Shadow, light pulsing from the bottom of his air shoes. Zero landed back on his feet, staring in disbelief and subtle relief at the sight of the dark hedgehog.

Shadow floated down to the floor. He looked down at the child, who was staring up with a face of uncertainty. Zero noticed a warm yet sad smile on Shadow's face, something that didn't seem to fit. This was a side of Shadow that Zero hadn't seen on the _Comet_. Had something happened on the freighter that changed Shadow's personality?

There was the sound of loud crashing noising coming from the other car, focusing Shadow's attention back to it. Zero could clearly see Raptor charging towards them, his eyes filled with blinding rage. Shadow took up a fighting stance, then began to glow red. Zero realized that Shadow was going to use the same attack against Raptor as he did against Quillen.

Shadow glanced back at Zero. "Hurry up and get this child out of here!" he shouted at back to Zero. He glanced back at Raptor, then disappeared in a flash, appearing directly underneath the Maverick, delivering a powerful kick to his stomach and launching him into the roof of the car.

Zero rushed forwards as Shadow bought him time. He quickly snatched the boy up, then rushed towards to nearest exit. He ran for a several yards, stopped to look back at the train. The boy, who was shaking with fear and shock as he clung to Zero, also stared back to the train.

They watched and listened for several minutes as Shadow battled Raptor inside the train, in what appeared to clearly be a losing battle for the Maverick. Then, after seeing the silhouette of Raptor disappear out of sight one last time, there was a period of silence.

It didn't take much time for this to end, though. There was a bright red flash inside the train, which was soon followed by a powerful explosion that sent parts of the train flying towards the two spectators. Zero quickly turned away, covering the child's head to protect him from the debris.

Zero heard a loud thump nearby, then glanced over to see Raptor, or what was left of him, laying on the ground feet away from where they stood. Parts of his body appeared to have been blown away, leaving most of his torso, one of his arms, and his head. He was barely functioning, probably only having enough of energy to keep him operating for maybe an hour at the very most.

Zero glared at Raptor for a moment, knowing that there was one more duty that he had left to perform. However, he was still holding onto the boy, whom was staring at the wrecked form of Raptor with a look of terror on his face. Zero found himself feeling that finishing Raptor off now wasn't right.

Raptor glared back up at them, his eyes still filled with rage and hate, as well as a tinge of fear. He looked directly towards Zero for a moment, then at the child, whose grip Zero felt tighten in fear. Raptor, apparently seeing this reaction, opened his once blade-filled mouth in a mocking fashion, displaying the residue of Ghannof blood that lined it. The child's reaction to this was to cling tightly to Zero, starting to sob softly.

Zero realized that, even though it was unlikely considering his state, if Raptor was allowed any more time in existence that he wouldn't think twice about taking at least one more life. Raptor and his fellow Mavericks had slaughtered more than they should have been allowed, and even claimed the life of a fellow hunter.

Zero turned and walked away from Raptor. When he was about three cars lengths away from him, he gently tried to place the child on the ground. However, he refused to let go easily, crying loudly as he clung onto Zero. He was probably afraid to be left alone while Raptor was still in existence, scared that he'd probably end up like all of the others Raptor had slaughtered.

A gloved hand reached for the child's shoulder. The boy glanced over to see Shadow, who appeared exhausted after using up most of his energy to defeat Raptor. The child seemed to calm down, letting Zero place him on the ground. Once Zero had let go of him, the child latched onto Shadow's arm, refusing to let go.

Shadow looked at Zero, a saddened look still in his eyes. "Don't worry about the boy, Zero; I'll get him out of here. You just do what you have to do."

"Shadow," Zero said, concerned about Shadow's changed in demeanor, "what happened…"

"That's not important right now," Shadow said, the sound of annoyance hinted very subtly in his voice. "Finish the job and end this nightmare." With that, Shadow and the child disappeared in a green flash.

Zero sighed, then walked back over to Raptor, readying his buster. Raptor watched him as he approached, and the fear that had been only hinted in his eyes blossomed into outright terror. He knew Zero did intend to carry out his execution, and there was no way he could escape it.

Zero stopped right next to Raptor and aimed his buster directly at his face, right between the eyes. Raptor stared down the barrel, completely unmoving. Swear seemed to form on his brow, and he began quiet yet panicked hissing sounds.

They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, completely motionless, like a couple of statues at a memorial. The air was still and quiet, not even a bird or insect making a sound. The air felt tense around them felt tense, as if at any moment one of them would snap.

Then Zero fired a since blast.

Raptor crumpled to the ground, a smoldering hole in his forehead where he had been shot. He made one last quiet hiss, and then the light faded from his eyes. Moments later, two bright lights erupted from his fallen form, and the two gems that he had been using fell to the ground.

The battle was over. Zero had won. And yet, the victory was bittersweet.

* * *

Nathan held onto Shic, trying with all his might not to loss his grip. He sensed surprise and anger from the alien, as well total shock from Ashura.

"Damn you, Earthboy," Shic cursed.

Nathan ignored him, instead looking over to Ashura. "Find some sort of weapon and finish him!" These were words that not even Nathan had expected to hear himself say.

"But, you'll—" Ashura began.

"We don't have time to argue!" Nathan snapped.

Ashura paused for a moment, then grimly nodded. He looked around the debris from the broken crates, looking for a weapon that looked relatively undamaged.

As he did, Shic continued to struggle in Nathan's surprisingly steady grip. "If I survive this," he spat as he looked back at Nathan, "I swear that I'll find that girl of yours and I'll—"

"No," Nathan spat back, a deadly seriousness in his face that even Shic was stunned to see, "if WE survive, your battle will be with me and only me. If you harm ANYONE important to me, I promise that somehow I'll make you're life a living Hell."

For once, the arrogant omnipotence that Shic held faded into fear. The expression that had crossed Nathan's face was enough to make him afraid for his safety, even if there was no real way to guarantee his threat.

Ashura held up a large rifle-like weapon and pointed it at the two. He gulped, closed his eyes, then pulled the trigger. A bright light emerged from the weapon and engulfed both Nathan and Shic.

Both of them screamed in agony as the weapon burned with what should have been a lethal intensity. Nathan could feel the flesh of his arms slowly boiling, and he felt his grip loosen around his foe. He found himself feeling light, as if he was caught somewhere between life and death.

He felt himself slowly being burned alive, with the only thing seeming coherent to him being the intense bright light in front of him. He couldn't see anything else, not even Shic who should have been inches in front of him.

"Is this it?" he muttered to himself through the pain. "Am I really going to die?"

As he felt his consciousness quickly drain away, he felt a pair of strong arms catch him from behind. He tried to look to see who it was, but still couldn't make out any detail.

Then everything went black.

_Am I… oh, never mind…_

Nathan slowly opened his eyes, only to see total darkness above him. He blinked a couple of times, and for a moment felt himself panic.

He tried to move one of his arms, but that it was stiff, as if a cast was holding it together. He tried moving his other arm, with a similar result.

He worried that he was paralyzed, but quickly brushed this thought off, as it felt more as if he was being restrained.

He blinked again, soon making out the detail of the ceiling above. He breathed a brief sigh of relief, knowing that his sight was still intact.

He felt someone's startled surprise, then relief next to him. He slowly, painfully turned his head to see Halley sitting next to his bed, tears of joy forming in her eyes as she smiled, happy to know he had finally awoken. Her arm was in a sling, apparently from the Shic's attack. Nathan was relieved to see his still had use of it.

Ashura and Zero stood off in the distance, both reclining against the opposite sides of a doorway. They looked him briefly, smiling with relief as well. Zero looked like he was in rough shape, as there were plenty of scraps in his armor. His long braid of hair was gone as well. Ashura looked like he was in perfect health, though Nathan sensed that he was still quite sore from the battle with Shic.

"Where… am I?" Nathan muttered, though it hurt a lot to just say those words.

"You're in a Ghannof hospital," Halley said softly. "You've been burned rather severely, but the doctors here predict you'll make a full recovery." He slowly laid his head back, staring back up at the ceiling. "You've been out for almost a week; we were a little worried that you wouldn't wake up, though the doctor's assured us otherwise."

Nathan thought back to the confrontation in the armory. "Shic!" he spat, trying to sit upwards sharply, but soon being overcome by a lot of pain and dizziness.  
"Easy," Halley said, placing a firm yet gentle hand on his shoulder to settle him back down. "You shouldn't move too much in your condition."

Nathan sighed, then laid back down. "Where's Shic? Did I… we…?"

Ashura nodded, both glad and sympathetic about their victory. "We didn't find a single remain of him in the armory after I shot him. The weapon I apparently used had enough power of vaporize anything with six feet instantly. How you survived is a miracle."

Nathan found himself feeling a sense of remorse. In a lot of ways, it was probably a good thing he was dead, as he wouldn't threaten anyone, not the Ghannof or anyone else, ever again. But he had also been the last of his kind, and it seemed wrong that he had to be destroyed in order to save others.

"What's wrong?" Halley asked.

"Nothing," Nathan said. "I just wish this would have turned out differently. So many died because of him; I wish I had known some way of stopping him before he started."

"We did what we could," Zero said, trying to sound supportive. "We were up against overwhelming odds. We're lucky we saved as many people as we did."

"Though one thing confuses me," Ashura said, trying to change the subject. "How did you manage to get to here in the shape you were in? All Douglas was able to tell us was that you stole a shuttle and took off without saying a word."

Nathan thought back, then shook his head painfully. "I… don't entirely remember. I just remember waking up, leaving the medical bay and going to the hangar, then entering one of the shuttles and taking off." He paused in thought. "Its weird… it feels so much like a dream."

Nathan thought back to how much he missed home, and how much he worried about Heather's safety. A single tear rolled down his cheek.

"Now what's wrong?" Zero said, sounding a little annoyed.

"Can I go home now?" Nathan replied.

* * *

In a very high orbit arround the Ghannof colony floated a vast vessel. It had been following both the _Gikuthoc_ and _Halley's Comet_ all this time, monitoring their progress. The commanders of these ships, as well as any others, were unaware of this pursuit, as it was hidden from their sight by a massive cloaking field.

Standing in a darkened observation deck stood two slender figures, both the silhouettes of human woman. One had long hair reaching down to the middle of her back tied in a ponytail, the other with had shorter hair. The height of both indicated that they were in their teens, the girl with the ponytail perhaps older.

There was a brief flash of light behind them. They both turned to see a short-cloaked figure standing behind them. The figure was heaving, and it appeared that the edges of the cloak had been singed.

The pony tailed girl spoke in a gentle, yet sad voice. "So, how'd everything go?"

A metal arm dropped out of the right side of the cloak, sparks snapping in and out of existence as it fell and the hit floor. The short haired girl gasped at this sight.

The cloaked figure sighed. "The boy put them in a position which threatened both of their lives. In the end, there was only one I could save." He stood up straighter, even though it appeared that he was in a lot of pain. "It took a lot out of me, but the boy was the one who survived."

"So the prophecy…" the pony haired girl started, "all the lives scarified… all for nothing?"

The figure ignored his fallen robotic arm, walking towards the viewport and stopping to look down towards the planet. "That's what I'm unsure about."

"What do you mean?"

"When we were sent here, the prophet told us that both the Chellosua and the boy were critical to the future of our worlds. However, he never hinted who, or even how many, would have to be sacrificed in order for the prophecy to be fulfilled." He raised his other, non-robotic arm in front of his face as if it was soaked with some unknown film. "I'm not sure, but I have this feeling that all this time, even before we risked our lives to come here, that's we've been played. Whoever that prophet was wasn't interested in what happened to us, just to what happened here. If this is indeed the case, then the blood of all those innocent lives is on OUR hands."


	5. Episode 5 Captive

Ha, I actually classified this episode as a PG-13 episode. Mostly because I cut back on the gore by A LOT.

Unfortunately, this is the end. Last episode I wrote. It was actually meant as a two-part arc, which would have FINALLY led to some actual crossovers.

I sort of rushed

Brief credits:  
- Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, and related Sonic the Hedgehog elements are property of Sega and Sonic Team.  
- Zero, Douglas, and related Megaman X elements are property of Capcom.  
- All original characters and elements are my property and may not be used.  
- Ashura the Hedgehog is technically not my character, but I do claim this version of him. Granted, I'm not sure what the rules are for characters based on glitches are...  
- Anything else I missed... well, you know...  
- I'd like to thank my cousin Jake for support.  
- The cake is a lie.

* * *

**Universal Link  
Captive**

It wasn't the darkness that bothered him. Nor was it the smell or sounds that surrounded him. Not even the unfamiliarity of the said surroundings. He'd done this several times since he'd been forced to undertake these damned missions. Like all the other times, the setting was the same, the same dank and dreary forests, lights of the same dreary cities just a stone's throw away. He'd become use to this, as much as hated to admit it.

The truth was, what it was he was expected to do was the thing bother him. If someone spotted him or anyone on the team, he was supposed to kill on sight. So far he'd been lucky, but each time his life was put on the line he realized that he might end up taking one.

Nathan's stomach turned at the thought.

He was crouched down behind a fallen tree, peering up to monitor the border of the nearby city. He was dressed in a dirty camouflaged suit, atypical from the vivid colors of Azhile uniforms. His face was covered mostly by dark colored paints but also from mud; he had tripped on the way here and fell face-first into a puddle of mud thanks to the heavy gear he had been carrying throwing him off balance. This had at first frightened the members of the team, but when they saw that he was all right amused them. It was hard enough to get a laugh from anyone lately let alone smile.

He sensed someone approach, though from their apprehension he could guess who it was. A gentle hand touched his shoulder, but he didn't turn his gaze from the city.

"Anything yet, Nathan?" the warm yet weary voice of Halley said. Nathan sensed that these missions exhausted her just as much as they did him. Like him, she was also carrying around a lot of weight – an after-effect from the events months ago.

"No," Nathan said, relaxing from his post. "Nothing. I can't even sense anything unusual."

Shortly after Nathan had recovered on the Ghannof colony, the _Halley's Comet_ was recalled to Azhilia for a formal inquiry about the events surrounding the Shic incident. She was charged with several offenses, including not making proper initial contact with other races, allowing a potentially hazardous being to board her ship, not requesting proper instruction before pursuing Shic, and interfering with the business of other races. While everyone involved with the Shic incident tried they're best to show their support for her and their actions – a fight that all felt they had succeeded in doing – the tables turned for the worst and the result was that Halley was stripped of her command. In addition, her along with everyone who had sided with her, were forced to serve aboard an Azhile cruiser commanded by a Captain Adnonstar, someone who carried a grudge against Halley.

He saw Halley sit against the fallen tree near him, opening a small food pouch. She motioned it to Nathan. "Here."

Nathan sat down, resting a small laser pistol on the ground. He took a handful of what looked like a cross between canned tuna and ground hamburger, looked at it for a second, then tossed it in his mouth. It definitely tasted better than it looked.

Halley laughed quietly at him. Nathan gave her an odd look. "What?"

"It's nothing," she said. "You do that every time you eat these rations."

She was dressed much in the same fashion that Nathan was with the exception of a black cap that she wore to keep her hair from becoming a hazard. Despite her current appearance, she still looked like the attractive woman who had apparently had crush on him months ago.

It seemed to Nathan that her feelings towards him had matured since being assigned on these missions. While she had still remained close to him, it wasn't overwhelming or suggestive like it had been – at least as far as Nathan could tell. She did her best to look out for him when he was in trouble, which happened quite often lately.

Nathan smiled at her reaction. "I'm waiting for it to taste the way it looks."

She tilted the pouch to him again, offering some more of the mystery food. "At this rate, you may get your wish."

He took some more, then replied, "Then you can blame me for jinxing us."

In a lot of ways, he felt that he had been a jinx to her. He had been the reason she had come after Shic. He had been the one to shatter Ashura's Master Emerald, which in turn kept them in pursuit. As a result, he felt he was responsible for her losing command of the _Comet_, not to mention all the carnage that occurred beforehand.

"_Demon to Mudman, Demon to Mudman, to you copy?"_ Ashura's voice rang over the handheld radio strapped to Nathan's belt.

Nathan quickly tossed the rations into his mouth, swallowed hard enough to make his throat hurt, then retrieved the radio. He pressed the button, then spoke into the device, "Hey Demon, when did I get the codename 'Mudman?'"

"_When you took that digger in the dirt,"_ Ashura replied_. "Nothing unusual up here. Got anything?"_

"Nada. No smokies or bandits."

"'_Smokies or bandits?'"_

Nathan smiled to himself, realizing how lame that had sounded. "Never mind; just some movie reference." He sighed to himself, thinking back to home. He wondered if there had been any good movies released while he was gone. He wondered if he'd ever see home again…

"_Copy that. Me and Redeye will do some scouting to the north of your position, then meet up with you, Tinman, and Cap. Copy?"_

"10-4," Nathan replied. "I'll hold position until further instruction."

"_Copy that. Demon out."_

Nathan clicked off the device. Ashura did seem to be taking things rather well, everything considered. About three weeks earlier, Sonic, Shadow, and Douglas had all nearly been captured by the enemy. As what appeared to be a last resort, Shadow created a huge explosion, taking the three of them and several of the ground troops with them. There was no trace of any of them, so it was assumed that they had all been reduced to nothing more than dust.

Nathan sighed, then crawled back up to his post. He was getting sick of observing this city, not even knowing what he was looking for. That was typical for every mission so far; they weren't told much except what was known about the beings they were monitoring, and even he took that with a bit of skepticism.

There was nothing new about the city. It just looked like an average city, even to the point that it looked like an Earth city with minor differences that couldn't be seen during the night. It was dimly lit by a series of lights lining the street, stretching for several blocks before fading into obscurity. However, as he continued to look, he thought he had finally seen something out of the ordinary. He squinted, but that didn't improve what he was trying to look at.

He ducked back behind the tree, looking at some of the pieces of equipment that was on the ground. He spotted what he was looking: a pair of binoculars. He grabbed them, crawled quickly up to his post, then tried to get a better look at what had grabbed his attention.

"What is it?" Halley asked quizzically.

"I don't know," Nathan replied. "I thought I saw something that seemed out of place…" His voice trailed off, recognizing what he saw.

Several of the buildings near the center of the city looked damaged. He thought he could make out large gaps in some of the walls, and corners of the buildings looked like they had been blasted off, the edges of each burned.

"Halley, have there been any reports of this city being attacked?"

"I don't think so. Intelligence didn't say anything except that the Purr-Son had been sending an unusual number of troops to their outer colonies." She moved next to where he was, looking through her own pair of binoculars. "What in the…"

"You see it, don't you?"

"Yes. It looks recent, maybe in the past couple of days."

"That explains why they've been moving troops. Probably to help clean up the mess that their attackers have created."

"Yes," Halley agreed. "But who's attacking? We've never received any unusual reports—"

_"Tinman to Cap! Tinman to Cap!"_ Zero's voice sounded over Halley's radio. _"I think the fur balls are onto us! I see five soldiers moving in on your position!"_  
Nathan and Halley put down their binoculars, looking around quickly to see where they were coming from. "I don't see them!" Halley replied.

_ "They're coming in from the south,"_ Zero replied. _"I'm coming to distract them, but you need to get out of there just in case."_

"Copy that," Halley replied. "Meet at the drop point immediately." She snapped the radio back to her belt, then tossed her binoculars and the remains of the rations into a black sack that was strapped to her back. "We'd better hurry; I'd prefer to avoid having to get into a fight with the Purr-Son right now, especially if what we found out is true."

Nathan nodded nervously, putting his equipment away. "I don't understand. How'd they find out where we were? I didn't sense anything unusual…"

"We don't exactly have time to figure that out." She stood up, examining her surroundings. "We need to get out of here fast!"

Nathan didn't argue with her there. He picked up his radio and pistol, snapping them quickly into place on his belt, then rose to his feet, soon following her the best he could through the woods. However, their return path was blocked off by three of the soldiers. Instinctively, they both ducked, trying to stay out of sight.

Nathan had caught a glimpse of the Purr-Son before. They reminded him of a humanoid cat, even more so than how the Azhile reminded him of a humanoid hedgehog. Their heads were shaped much like a lion or tiger, with a variation of fur patterns. They had rather vicious-looking claws on their paw-like hands, which appeared to be apposable than the paws of Earth felines. They even had tails, though the soldiers had them wrapped around their waists, hidden underneath their armor.  
Nathan sensed that they were aware of someone in the vicinity, but he couldn't be sure if it was them. He wanted to look up to see exactly where they were looking, but knew that he'd be instantly spotted; the Purr-Son at extremely accurate night vision. He knew they could probably smell or hear them as well. Most of their senses were sharper compared to other life forms in the universe, with the exception of the Ghannof.

Nathan glanced over to see Halley slowly aiming a hand laser at them. He knew that she was going to try to kill all three in the group, something which he didn't wish her to do. However, she knew he'd be reluctant to kill them himself, so in a lot of ways she was doing him a favor.

There was a high pitched squeal, followed by an explosion in the distance, catching the soldiers' attention. They quickly turned around in the direction, seeing if anything unusual could be seen from their vantage point. Halley seemed to hesitate, knowing that if she were lucky she wouldn't have to kill any of them.

Nathan's instinct was to run while the troops were distracted. However, with the Purr-Son so nearby, he knew that he'd be spotted and picked off before he was more than ten feet away. Even so, he felt himself slowly moving away from where he was hiding, in the general direction of the drop point.

Another squeal followed by an explosion caught his attention, making him stop and duck only feet away from where he had been. The explosion was some distance behind the Purr-Son soldiers, but closer than the previous explosion. He wondered if the explosions were homing in on them, or if they even were homing in on the locations of his fellow teammates.

There were three more explosions, each much closer to where he, Halley, and the trio of Purr-Son were. He heard one of the Purr-Son shout in their language, "Run for cover," which was translated to English by a translator planted in his right ear. They soon took off to the west, the opposite direction of the drop point.

Another explosion, close enough for Nathan to see the dust and smoke rise, caused Nathan the freeze. _They're homing in on us_, he thought as his heart raced. _We've been discovered and they're after us. I'm – we're -- going to die on this alien planet. I'll never know if she survived…_

Nathan found himself getting shoved to the side as he heard yet another squeal. An explosion soon followed, almost exactly on his former position, adding a few extra feet to his flight. He landed hard on his side, rolling an additional few feet before coming to a stop on his face. He quickly covered his head, trying to futilely protect himself from another bomb.

He felt tears roll down his face, and was breathing in a frenzied state, fear completely gripping him. His mind was clouded and unfocused, he thoughts all hanging on joys and regrets of his life. He closed his eyes, fearing that any second the end would come.

After what felt like ten minutes, however, there was nothing but silence. He slowly calmed himself, trying to convince himself that the worst was over. However, as he focused his mind, he felt something that made him practically leap to his feet: pain, not his pain, but someone else's.

"Halley!" he shouted unthinkingly, looking around for her. He finally found her, lying face down on the ground. Feet away from her was a small smoldering crater. It appeared to have missed – barely.

He rushed to her side, kneeling next to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping she would respond. There was no response.

"Halley… say something…" He was scared that she was dead, though his senses, while still unfocused, indicated that she was in pain and thus still alive. He grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her enough to hopefully get a response.

"Stop it; that just hurts more," she mumbled.

"You're alright!" Nathan said, dumbly embracing her as a sense of relief passed over him.

"Not if you don't let go," she replied, and he promptly released her from his grip.

He watched as she tried to get up, but he sensed the pain was too much. He tried to help her, grabbing her by her arm just below the shoulder and trying to gently lift her up. The way it looked, her right arm was broken below the elbow.

Halley managed to sit up with Nathan's help, though she was so unsteady from pain and shock that she needed to recline against a nearby tree to avoid falling backwards. She was in terrible shape; her face was scratched up and her left eye swollen shut, dust and mud covering it. There were small trickles of blood all over her face, but the most prominent were below her nose and at the side of her mouth. Her clothes were ripped in a few areas, the most prominent being a tear to the chest of her uniform, though not low enough to be revealing; Nathan was too concerned about the amount of pain she was in to worry about it even if it was.

Nathan reached for the small radio he had on his belt, soon realizing that it wasn't there. Looking around, he found it or at least what was left of it; it had been broken, probably when he rolled over it when Halley pushed him.

He looked for Halley's, soon finding what was left of it near the crater. He panicked, realizing his only way of getting help was destroyed.

The sound of rustling leaves quickly caught his attention. He spun in the general direction of the noise, soon sensing what felt like two beings, both in a state of apprehension. They were still some distance away, but if what he guessed about the Purr-Son's speed was true, they could be there any second.

He rushed over to Halley's side, trying to lift her onto his shoulder. She was heavier than he imagined for some reason, and she didn't seem to be trying to help him.

"Nathan…" she muttered, "you have to leave me…"

Nathan kept trying, ignoring her. He wasn't about to leave her behind. He wasn't about to let someone important to him die. He wouldn't be able to take the blame.

He felt her fist connect with his face, catching him completely by surprise. He released her and spun away, stunned. He turned to look back and saw she was pointing her laser pistol at him.

"Run…" she said, a sad expression on her battered face. "If you don't, we'll both be dead."

"But…"

"Don't argue…" she pressed one of the buttons on the pistol, and the tip began to glow. The glow was followed by a brief flash, the shot just missing him and striking a tree behind him.

He mind was racing with different thoughts and emotions. He felt sadness, guilt, fear, pain, confusion… He couldn't leave her behind; he couldn't let her be yet another victim of his misfortune. But as he stood there, her pistol pointed at him, he realized that she was right; there was nothing he could do. As tears flooded his eyes, he took off in the direction of the drop point, trying to stay as composed as he could.

He ran blindly for some distance before tripping over some tree roots. He tumbled head over heals a couple of times, feeling sharp jolts of pain in his hands and face, one just below one of his eyes. When he stopped moving, he sat up slowly, realizing he took a stumble down a rather steep hill. He soon realized that his surroundings were lit up far brighter than they should be.

He turned around slowly, seeing that he was near the outskirts of the city he had been surveying. It soon hit him that he most have ran the wrong way, maybe getting lost in the forest and taking a wrong true in his confusion.

The thought of running back up the hill crossed his mind, but he realized that it was far too steep of a climb for him to make it without being spotted. He turned to look back at the city, then took off for it in hopes of finding someplace to hide.

He ducked into the shadows of buildings, keeping his senses focused to make sure no one saw him. It was working for the most part, though his scent drew the attention of a couple of Purr-Son soldiers, though they quickly disregarded him as some rodent.

He kept going, staying on the outskirts while watching the hills nearby, hoping to find a spot low enough for him to rush in and hopefully to stay hidden. He wasn't having much luck, but he felt that he'd be safe as long as he thought no one was looking for him.

The sound of a siren changed his mind. The steady sound of it indicated that it was meant for use during an attack, which meant he'd most likely find the city, both inside and out, crawling with Purr-Son. He panicked, ducking down a darkened alley in hopes that they wouldn't look there.

He sensed the confusion and panic of many troops as they rushed where he was hiding. He saw shadows being cast and lights being flashed but sensed no indication of his discovery. After several minutes, everything seemed to calm down. After several more, he slowly came out of hiding and slowly made his way to the end of the alley.

He sensed a sudden attack impulse as he reached the end, soon finding one Purr-Son latching onto his shoulders with their claws. Nathan shouted in pain but managed to keep it down. He struggled to brake free of the painful grip, landing punch after punch to the creature's midsection before kicking it in the crotch. The Purr-Son let go as he moaned in pain, and Nathan made the quick observation that his attacker was a male.

Nathan's shoulders burned with pain, a quick look revealing one puncture make in the front of each shoulder oozing blood with probably three or four more in the bad of each. They all felt like they had gone pretty deep, and it stung whenever he tried to move his arms or shoulders.

The Purr-Son quickly recovered and lunged at Nathan. Nathan sidestepped well before the attack would have hit, though he grimaced as he did. He tried to club his hands together and bring them down on his attacker's back, but he was in too much pain to give them enough force.

His attacker quickly spun around, slashing at him with his claws. Nathan's dodge was too shallow, the claws ripping painfully into his left cheek. He moaned in pain as he stumbled backwards, trying to stay focused as the pain stung sharply.

He reached for his belt in some futile hope of finding his radio, but soon found his pistol still strapped to his belt. He quickly snatched it and pointed it at his attacker, who was practically on top of him. He quickly pulled the trigger, at the same time closing his eyes in expectations of his opponent's pain and murmuring "Please forgive me…"

The sensation of pain hit him strongly, making him feel disoriented. He felt his stomach turn and his face go pale and clammy, just like the time Shic killed his classmates back on Earth.

However, his attacker wasn't dead. He opened his eyes to see him lying on the ground, his side badly burned by the blast. He was moaning in pain and seemed to be in state of shock. Nathan could see blood pooling by the wounded; he was loosing blood fast.

Nathan wanted to turn around and run, trying to distance himself from the city, as well as his victim, before reinforcements arrived. However, he found the idea of leaving the Purr-Son to bleed to death an even more revolting thought. He stood frozen in panic for a moment before finally making his decision.

He moved to the Purr-Son's side, examining the wound the best he could in the dim lighting. It was bad, no where near as bad as Chad's wound had been but still rather grotesque. There was a lot of blood coming out and no easy way of stopping the bleeding.

The Purr-Son looked up at him, his expression crossed with a mix of pain and confusion, and his emotions adding fear and anger. Though in reality it was hard to tell his true age, Nathan guessed that he had to be roughly around his own age, something that disturbed him even more.

The Purr-Son reached out to grip Nathan's throat, but there wasn't enough strength to rip it out. In the end, his arm fell limply, his struggle to kill his opponent hopeless.

Nathan quickly looked around for something he could use to try to stop the bleeding. Unable to find anything, he searched himself for anything that he could use, soon realizing that he did have anything to spare.

He took off the camouflaged uniform top he was wearing and tried to rip a piece big enough to cover the entire wound. Pain shot through his shoulders as he did, but he ignored it, trying to focus on saving this being's life. After several agonizing moments, he succeeded and quickly applied it to the wound.

He applied pressure to the wound, trying to slow or stop the blood flow. The amount of pressure made his shoulders throb more, blood slowly trickling down from the wounds on his back and front of hi shoulders. He grimaced from this pain, which only aggravated the massive wound on his face, it too trickling blood. He put some distance between him and his wounded attacker, making sure none of his blood fell into the wound.

He sensed the presense of several beings approaching him, probably a number of Purr-Son soldiers. He was afraid of what they might do when they saw him, but didn't stop or even panic. He needed to try to help, even if the consequences for him ended up being something terrible.

He soon saw a shadow cast over him. As he turned to look, he felt the butt of a gun hit him in the back of the head.

Everything went dark…

Zero walked onto the bridge of the _Drackmire_, Ashura and Knuckles several steps behind him. He was upset over the events that had just occurred down on the planet, and he was making this very clear to everyone who was on the bridge considering how everyone scattered as soon as the lift opened to reveal the trio. There was one this he wanted, and that was answers.

The bridge was crewed by about seven Azhile. Each stood to about Zero's shoulders, sporting a vividly colored uniform based on rank: the brighter the colors, the lower the rank. Their heads were filled with combed-back quills rather than hair, their eyes set back further and smaller, their noses small and black in a similar fashion as a rabbits. They had five figures on each hand like a human, but they were stockier and shorter, though Zero had seen them match, if not exceed, the typing skills of a human.

At the center of the bridge stood an Azhile male in a dark green uniform. He faced the bridge's screen, his arms behind his back as he stood in posture of authority. He injured, like all the other times, the team that had risked their life for "their" ship, whose numbers had dropped from eight to three. This Azhile was none other than the ship's captain, Adnonstar.

"Report," he barked, not even giving them a second thought. The word was actually in one of the Azhile dialects, but was translated by an addition to Zero's hearing software.

Zero grimised, wanting so much to wipe the floor with that smug attitude. "Cap—Halley's in the infirmary with broken ribs, an arm, and a mild concussion, but she should pull through. Nathan's…" Zero clenched his fists in frustration, "been captured by the Purr-Son." He these words probably meant nothing to "his" captain.

Adnonstar didn't say anything at first, then said in a non-caring tone, "How unfortunate. A human like him doesn't have a chance on a Purr-Son planet; he's bound to end up as someone's meal." He turned his slightly away from them, starting to give an order.

"You mean you're not going after him?!" Knuckles shouted.

Zero cut off Adnonstar's possible response with a question of his own. "What the hell happened down there? Who was the one attacking us?" Zero tried to remain level-headed, hoping to get an honest answer. Quite frankly, he wished Nathan were here to tell him if this bastard was lying.

Adnonstar seemed to shrug. "Our sensors didn't pick up any detectable intruder. However, our guess is the attacks were meant for the Purr-Son. Probably one of the enemies they've made in the pirating business. Nothing important to us." He turned his attention back to the officer he was going to talk to earlier, saying, "Prepare to leave orbit."

"No!" Knuckles shouted. "We're going back down there and rescue Nathan!" Zero say the echidna quickly step out from behind him on his right.

Adnonstar just sighed, not turning to face Knuckles. "Mr. Echidna, I will have no more outbursts from you. Any further outbursts and I'll have you thrown in the brig."

Knuckles rushed at Adnonstar in what Zero knew was a futile attempt to strike at the captain. "You can kiss my—!" was all he said before being dropped by three stun blasts from three different crew members. He wouldn't be waking up for awhile.

Zero sighed as Adnonstar ordered that Knuckles be removed from the bridge. He and Ashura turned and walked back into the lift they had come from. When the doors closed, Ashura pressed a button and the lift started to descend. He then walked to the wall opposite of where Zero was standing, leaning back against it. "I can't take much more of this."

"Agreed," Zero simply said, reclining back against the wall. He really wanted to fight back against Adnonstar and take control of the ship. However, he didn't like the odds. It would be just him, Ashura, and Knuckles trying to take control, and even if they had control of the bridge, it wouldn't take long for the crew to over power them. He could probably handle most of them, but all at once... Not to mention Halley probably wouldn't approve of the plan.

"Someone has to inform Halley about this," Zero said calmly as the lift slowed.

"You do it," Ashura said, starting to move to the door as the lift came to a stop.

"I thought you were the one was keeping an eye on those two," Zero said, a sarcastic smile on his face. He had known about the thing between the only two humans in their party for some time, though he hadn't seen anything going on that seemed too inappropriate. He knew Ashura was the one always keeping tabs on them, making him think that it was better off if he didn't get involved.

Ashura shrugged. "I don't think I need to worry too much about that right now." As he walked out the door, he added, "As of right now, I feel I need to do some _Soul_ seeking."

Sonic rubbed the top of his head as he walked down the darkened corridors of the _Soul Keeper_. He had been rudely "attacked" in his sleep by someone Shadow had sent to wake him, which resulted in him putting a nice dent in top of his bunk. He contemplated his means of revenge on Shadow, but couldn't bring himself to harm the one that Shadow had sent.

His "attacker" walked along side him, talking non-stop about different things in a dialect of the Ghannof language that hadn't been translated by Sonic's ear translator. The Ghannof youth, whom Sonic had come to know to as Darmyun, was at best guess around the age of a human seven-year-old, with all the energy and curiosity that seemed to come with him, the latter which Sonic assumed was the reason he was following him around. He appeared much like the other Ghannof on the _Soul Keeper_, with short-yet jet-white hair with a crystal-scaled hairline, glowing red-eyes, and skin as dark as night. Darmyun's eyes paralleled his chipper demeanor, as they seemed to lack some of the light they should have. Sonic understood why.

About a month earlier, Shadow had received a message from the crew of a Ghannof freighter that they were in need of a captain and an engineer. The freighter turned out to be the same one whose crew had been massacred by the Maverick months earlier. The ship's commander at the time was a Ghannof teenager whose name was, unfortunately, Fukken, the son of the ship's original captain and brother of the girl whom Shadow had found on the ship. There were roughly twenty Ghannof on the ship, all whom at been survivors of Shic's rampage and, for reasons Sonic still didn't understand, forced from their homes. Fukken's request was for Shadow to take over as captain for two reasons: the first being Fukken's lack of experience and the second more personal reason being the fact that he had a hard time being in the same room where his father had been brutally executed.

Under normal circumstances, Sonic imagined that Shadow would have turned down such a request. However, it seemed that there was something very personal about this request, and, combined with the stress of being bossed around by some hot-shot captain who wanted them all dead, Shadow took this opportunity to make his escape. He took Douglas along as the request was also for an engineer and Sonic for "morale" reasons.

Sonic and his escort soon reached one of the elevators, at which Sonic stopped and stood impatiently. Darmyun looked at Sonic with a puzzled expression on his face. Sonic gestured to the door of the lift, at which Darmyun responded with the possibly universal exclamation of "Oh" and pressed a button next to it. As they entered, Sonic was surprised and amused to hear Darmyun say what sounded a lot like "Sorry."

The lift's atmosphere was that of just about the rest of the ship. It was darkened, just to the point where one could vaguely make out the details of everyone within an arm's length, if even that. The air was warm like a mild summer day, just hot enough for someone to start to sweat. It wasn't like this all over the ship; Shadow had decreased the temperature in certain parts of the ship to around room temperature and the lighting so details could be made out from about ten feet away.

The bridge was one of these places. When the door slid open, Sonic blinked for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the light filtering into the lift. Darmyun on the other hand had to shield his eyes while he retrieved a pair of sun glasses from his pocket.

The two walked out of the lift onto a mostly empty bridge. It was smaller than the _Comet_'s bridge, blocky and rectangular shaped with enough room for about seven crew members max. There were duty stations to the sides of the bridge, though most of the panels were unlit to save power. Two stations sat feet in front of the vacant Captain's Chair, both appearing like large silver desks with keyboards built-in. Shadow stood in front of one of them, typing in a few commands. Sonic had yet to see Shadow actually sit in the chair, but imagined he never would.

Shadow spent most of his time on the bridge; in fact, Sonic had only seen him leave a few times, leaving most of the leg work to Sonic. Only on a few rare occasions had Sonic seen any of the Ghannof crew on the bridge, and when they were they always seemed rather jumpy as if it were haunted.

There were a number of places on the ship that seemed to always be avoided. Another area was one of the cargo holds, where there was extensive structural damage to the suspension bridge and piping above the hold, as well as what seemed to be something of a hazy glow. From what Shadow had told him, this was where Shock Quillen, the Maverick who had massacred the crew, had dumped most of the crew. The damage had been done during when Zero and Shadow fought Quillen, Shadow being the one to finish the Maverick.

The whole ship seemed to have a gloomy feel to it, like if it was still haunted by the souls of the dead crew. It also was carried the refugees that had survived the rampage that Shic and the Mavericks had gone on, only to be ultimately be forced from home. And Shadow.

Thus the name _Soul Keeper_, the ship that holds the lost souls of both the dead and the living. Sonic quite frankly hated the name but admitted that it did seem fitting.

Darmyun stood at attention as he addressed Shadow, whom was still facing with his back turned to both Sonic and the Ghannof boy. He addressed Shadow in an official yet upbeat tone with something that probably meant "Prisoner has been escorted to the bridge, sir!"

…At least that's what Sonic assumed; it was an amusing thought…

Shadow didn't turn to face them, but stated a response to the boy's announcement, which seemed to be followed by an order. Darmyun seemed to sink a little, then slouched over to one of the stations to Sonic's right.

Sonic watched, then shook his head. "Aren't you being a little hard on him, Shadow? He's a kid, not a soldier."

"That's not my concern right now," Shadow said, still not turning to face Sonic. "My priority is to get this cargo to Darameth, and we're already an hour behind schedule. If we're late, we can forget about get the _Soul's_ engines upgraded—" he finally looked back at Sonic, a smug expression on his face "—as well as that holographic technology that you were so interested in."

"I'm not worried about," Sonic said, though he did really want that technology to improve his morale-boosting abilities. "I just want to cut the kid some slack; he's been through enough and doesn't need you to be chewing him out."

"Who said I was chewing him out? All I said was to monitor the radio and listen for any communications from Darameth."

"You didn't say anything about him waking me up and dragging me up here?"

"No. Should I have?"

"Sadow," Darmyun said, cutting Sonic off before he had a chance to flip out.

Shadow ignored Sonic, inquiring about what had just come over the radio. There was a bit of dialog between the two, which ended with Darmyun stating something that caught Sonic's attention: "Assura."

"What? Ashura?" Sonic said.

"Yes," Shadow replied. "It seems your more mature brother has sent us a message." Shadow walked over to the station where Darmyun was sitting, getting a better listen to the message.

After about ten seconds, Sonic became impatient. "Well, what is it? Ashura wouldn't send a message unless it was an emergency."

Shadow paused for a moment, then turned to face Sonic. "Halley's been badly injured during one of their missions." He paused even longer, as if trying to decide how to put the next part of the message even though his expression was completely calm. "Nathan's been captured."

"What?!"

"Adnonstar is planning to leave him behind on the planet. He's not even going to attempt a rescue."

"Figures. That guy's a bigger jerk than you." Sonic crossed his arms, looking impatiently at Shadow. "So what are we going to do? We can't just leave him in the hands of those furballs, can we?"

Shadow took some time to think about his response. "We'll complete our run."

"What?!"  
"Once we're done, we'll make an attempt to rescue Nathan."

"He'll be cat food by then!"

Shadow shook his head. "Maybe. But the boy's come out of more perilous situations with nothing more than a few scratches…"

"AFTER COMING OUT OF A FRIGGIN' COMA!!!"

"Nonetheless, I think he should be fine."

Sonic clenched his fists in frustration. He wanted to try to counter Shadow with some other reasoning. However, he knew that Shadow would probably just shoot him down with something that made sense, and he wouldn't have anything to counter with.

Shadow walked past Sonic, heading towards the lift. "Take over, Sonic."

Sonic spun around, a look of anger and surprise on his face. "WHAT?!"

"I'm heading down to the engine room; I think Douglas and I can work something out to get us to Darameth in less time. I probably will be out for quite some time after that, so until then, the bridge is yours." And with that, Shadow entered the lift and disappeared.

A silence fell over the bridge. Sonic was completely confused, trying to figure out just what had just happened. He looked at Darmyun, whose expression, while mostly masked by his shades, seemed to mirror his own. "Uh… well, carry on then…"

Darmyun just nodded, not understanding what Sonic had just said but apparently getting the idea as he turned back to his post.

Sonic paced back and forth for about a minute, doing around forty-two laps in a five foot area in that time. He stopped and looked around, seeing Darmyun looking at him in astonishment. "Um, nice shades by the way," Sonic said, pointing up to his eyes. "You're definitely stylin' there."

Darmyun seemed to grin, then turned around to continuing listening for messages. Sonic sighed, realizing that however long these next moments were, they were going to be painfully long.

* * *

The first thing Nathan noticed was the change of lighting. He had slowly opened his eyes, blinking two or three times to let his eyes adjust. He had looked up at the sky, which was now replaced with a ceiling of porous six by six square gray panels. A cool breeze had blown at him to his right which he turned his attention to see a small open window with three metal bars allowing the morning sunlight in. He shivered and shifted positions to face away from the window as he wrapped the blankets around himself. This had drawn his attention to a gray metal door about six or more feet high with a small transparent window about a fourth the way to the top.

Reality had hit him soon after that. He remembered the events of the previous night, and swiftly sat up. There were brief shots of pain in his shoulders as he did, and when he looked he saw he was no longer in uniform, but instead in a plain white hospital gown. They had taken his clothes, but at least gave him something to keep his dignity. At least they tried to mend his wounds, as the numbness on the left side of his face and the bandages seemed to indicate.

Nathan was a puzzled by all this. From what he had been told, the Purr-Son made meals out of anybody who wasn't one of them. Maybe they were just saving him for later, though it wouldn't make sense to patch him up just to crew him up later. He guessed that all he heard was just propaganda.

He remembered trying to save the Purr-Son he shot and looked at his hands. There wasn't any blood, and yet they felt stained. He stared at them for the longest time, wondering if he had managed to slow the bleeding for the proper medical personnel to take over. He looked down and sighed, worried that he hadn't.

He stared at the bed he had been sleeping on. It was covered completely in white sheeting, with a thick white blanket and fluffy pillow. The mattress was actually quite soft with just the right amount of spring. This confused him either more; why did they give him such a nice bed when they captured him hovering over a wounded member of their race while he was on a convert mission?

Nathan sensed someone approaching the door. He looked towards it, tensing in expectation of the worst. He saw a pair of eyes stare through the small opening in the door, then heard the lock click. The door opened after that.

In the entrance stood a tall Purr-Son man dressed in what almost looked like a suit; the top was black with a white stripe down the center with a pair of black pants to match it. The Purr-Son's fur was a solid light gray with no visible patterns with the exception of some white along the ears. The impression he gave Nathan seemed to indicate he was a very stern, but Nathan sensed a degree of curiosity from him. He probably had never seen a human before.

The Purr-Son held out some clothes neatly folded in a small stack. On top of the stack was a small device that Nathan immediately recognized: the translator that was no longer in Nathan's right ear.

The Purr-Son stepped forward, at which Nathan slowly moved away. However, he sat the clothes on the end of the bed, then walked back to the door. He stood there facing Nathan, waiting patiently. When Nathan just stared at him, he pointed to his ear; a small metal device was barely visible in it.

Nathan picked up the translator, staring at it for a moment. It didn't look like it had been altered in any way, though it seemed to have been thoroughly cleaned. Seeing that there didn't appear to have been made into anything harmful, he slowly popped it back into his ear.

"We took your translator and modified our own to translate your language," the Purr-Son said in a deep voice, much like a quiet roar. "We have a number of questions we'd like to ask you. I will give you a moment to get properly dressed. Knock on the door when you are finished." He then exited the room, locking the door behind him.

Nathan sat on the bed for a moment longer, contemplating his choices. Just what questions were they going to ask? Would they be the type of questions that would lead to his teammates, the few friends he's had during these long months, to be captured or killed? Or would they be something of less importance like where he came from?

Nathan looked at the pile of clothes and made a quick, and temporary, discussion: he'd cooperate… to a point. For the time being, it'd be in his best interest to do so. Besides, he didn't like the idea of several armed cat people storming in and forcefully dressing him themselves.

The interrogation room he sat in was surprisingly plush, with a long and decorative wood table with several cushioned chairs around it. The walls were a simple burgundy color with darker colored drapes by the room's bar-less windows. In fact, he almost doubted he was even in an interrogation room if it wasn't for the room's small size.

Nathan was dressed in a rather bland tan suit, which looked like a sweat suit but felt to him like a prison jumpsuit. It was comfortable, being maybe a bit large for him. There was a pocket on the left breast of the shirt, and near the middle of this pocket was a set of black characters, possibly a prisoner I.D.

As he had been led down the halls of the complex he was being held, he had passed a number of Purr-Son personnel. Each had given him a curious look, which matched what they felt. A few rare individuals showed indication of angry and suspicion, which was understandable considering his capture. None seemed to be hungry or giving off a feeling that they probably thought he'd make a good next meal.

Still, everything seemed to indicate that they were being hospitable only because he was different and unique, alien to them. He had been told that the Purr-Son were barbaric and cannibalistic only to a point. Needless to say, what he had been told was wrong, though he did wonder about one thing: why were they so interested by him that they seemed to pay little mind to the fact he had gravely wounded, if not killed, another of their kind?

The grey furred Purr-Son Nathan had met earlier briskly walked into the room, carrying a thin pale yellow in his hands. He turned and shut the door, then moved to the table, sitting in the chair opposite of Nathan. He placed the folder flatly on the table, opening to reveal a handful of papers. One of the papers had a picture of the boy Nathan had wounded.

The Purr-Son tried to hide distain for the picture, but Nathan picked up on it. He had sense a brief burst of anger, which he tried to cover with some other emotion. Nathan didn't blame him for being angry. He just looked down at the table in shame.

The Purr-Son cleared his throat, then said, "Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Kath'semr. I am in-charge of the interrogation of trespassers to Purr-Son grounds."

Nathan didn't say anything, just continued looking down. Kath'semr asked, "I assume you have a name."

"Nathan," he replied almost under his breath. "Nathan Mathios."

"Nathan Mathios," Kath'semr said, quickly writing down this information, to the best of his ability, on a sheet of paper. "Of what planet?"

Nathan hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Earth."

Kath'semr wrote this down as well, then asked, "Is the government of Earth the one's who sent you?"

"No."

"Who sent you then?"

Nathan didn't say anything. He knew he shouldn't answer, not now anyways. He didn't even know for certain why he had been sent in the first place.

"Who sent you? Why were you sent?"

Nathan still didn't reply. Nathan sensed that his interrogator was getting annoyed.

"Why were you sent?! Who are you working for?!"

Nathan still didn't answer.

"WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR?!" Kath'semr was practically in Nathan's face, leaning forward on the table with his arms supporting him.

Nathan had been expecting this, but he was frightened by this display. He practically leapt out of his seat, the chair skidded backwards an inch.

Nathan stared at Kath'semr for several minutes. His interrogator glared at him awhile, but Nathan tried to hold his ground, trying to remain calm. Eventually, Kath'semr back off, his emotions cooling. Nathan sensed a pang of guilt coming from him.

Kath'semr stood up straighter, his arms behind his back. "I don't know what its like on… 'Earth,' but in the Purr-Son Conglomerate we don't send our children off to attack our neighbors. My guess is that you've been forced into this against your will, maybe even taken from your home. If you can tell us something – anything – about who's behind this, I can guarantee we'll let you go."

Nathan still didn't say anything. While Kath'semr was being honest as he could be, he felt that he still shouldn't answer. It wasn't to protect the mission; Adnonstar could go to hell for all he cared. It was to protect his friends who were still on the _Drackmire_, not to mention the crew who were just taking orders.

Kath'semr sighed, then said, "If you don't, we'll be forced to take drastic measures; I can't guarantee you'll live through these. It would be a shame if such a unique creature should die before we've had a chance to understand you."

Nathan said nothing. He was scared, but the guilt that he felt made him almost welcome whatever torture they had waiting for him. However, as Kath'semr slowly moved to exit the room, he looked up and asked, "How is he doing?"

Kath'semr turned to look at Nathan, surprised. "You mean the boy you shot last night?"

Nathan just looked down at the table.

Kath'semr looked back through the doorway, a faraway look on his face as he thought. "If we permit you to see him, would you be willing to cooperate?"

Nathan just nodded.

The boy lay unconscious in the bed of the medical bay. There were many tubes and wired attached to him, monitoring his vitals. Next to his bed was a square machine displaying such vitals, one being something that looked like an equalizer bar that shifted with every heartbeat.

The boy's fur was mostly black with a few white spots, the ones on his check and around his left eye being the most prominent. His ears had noticeable tips on them, much like that of a Siamese. His shoulder was wrapped heavily in bandages, most soaked with fresh blood. He was still bleeding after all this time; not a good sign.

Nathan stood on the opposite side of a glass window. Kath'semr stood near him, his arms behind his back, radiating with subtle anger only noticeable to Nathan, as well as disgust and sorrow. He didn't say anything, just sighing from time to time.

A number of other Purr-Son walked or rushed by, bringing things and checking vitals. All were concerned for the boy's well-being, but when they noticed Nathan watching they seemed to burst with well-concealed rage. A few even approached Nathan, only to be deterred by Kath'semr's glare.

There weren't many words spoken except for a few mutters. There were beeps from the monitoring equipment and the rattling of medical instruments. Other than that, there was a deaf silence in the room, one that stirred Nathan's already whirling mind further.

Nathan had blamed himself for so many of the lives that had been lost during the past months, even though everyone, including himself, tried to convince him that it wasn't his fault.

But this was totally different. He had fired the shot which wounded this boy; there was no way around this fact. There was nothing controlling him except for fear and adrenaline, all his own. And now the Purr-Son lay dying from his actions. If he had a hard time living with himself for the lives lost indirectly because of him, how could expect to live with himself for one he actually did?

Nathan sensed a sudden burst of rage, followed by a gasp and the sound of a metal tray crashing to the floor. He turned to see a Purr-Son girl, about eleven or twelve in Earth years, staring at him from several yards away, her mouth hanging open with expression of horror on her face. She had similar markings and points as the boy, though she had no black spot around her eye and black spots on both of her cheeks, the left larger than the other. Nathan's heart sank when he made the realization that she was probably the boy's younger sister.

The expression on the girl's face quickly warped into rage, after which she lunged at Nathan. She first swung at him, her claw tearing up his right cheek, then knocked him to the floor. She was on top of Nathan, her hands around his neck, her claws digging in as she tried to strangle him. Nathan tried to force her off of him, but after seeing the hatred for what he had done blazing in her eyes quickly gave up.

The staff quickly managed to get the girl off of Nathan, whose claws would not let go so easily, resulting in large deep scratches that bleed profusely. They tried to help him, placing clothes and bandages on his new wounds, most unwilling to really help but doing so anyways. He didn't blame them; he deserved all of this.

* * *

Ashura was reading the message that Sonic had sent them in regards to Nathan's rescue. He stopped for a moment to stare at the empty mattresses that littered the floor, looking for someone to vent to as the frustration inside grew. They were empty, everyone who had occupied their makeshift quarters elsewhere, either somewhere else on the ship or not onboard.

Knuckles was most likely still in the ship's brig, sleeping off the effects of the multiple stun blasts he had taken. Zero was probably leaning against a bulkhead somewhere, contemplating what their next move would be and how futile it was. Halley… well, she was probably still in the infirmary, recovering from her injuries. As much as Ashura hated to admit it, he wished they were here, giving there thoughts on the current situation.

Nathan was probably still on the colony, hopefully still alive and not the next meal of some hungry feline being. Shadow seemed confident that he was safe, as he hadn't been willing to alter their course to head to the colony for a rescue attempt, something Sonic couldn't believe. He was, however, willing to wrap their job up quicker, but Ashura wasn't sure if that was a good sign.

There was a chime at the door that caught Ashura's attention. At first, he didn't think too much of it, but then soon realized that something was odd. Knuckles and Zero usually didn't wait for someone to reply or open the door. Halley did, but he thought that she was too weak to actually be up and about. Of course, Adnonstar was hardly the kindest captain, so maybe he had someone bring her here. Still, he thought that they would also just barge in.

Ashura knew something was amiss. He shut off the console, then slowly moved away from the desk. As he made his way to his mattress to retrieve his staff, there was a second chime. Two more followed as he made his way slowly to the door.

He pressed the button to open the door, ready to confront whoever was waiting. He was surprised to find only one Azhile officer waiting on the other side. She was dressed in the bright red uniform with a circular insignia stitched into the right shoulder that indicated that she was a communications officer. Her left arm was behind her back, her right angled towards the chime controls. She had dark brown fur around her face and black quills that made up her hair. The look she carried on her face seemed distressed, and her eyes were directed towards Ashura's left.

Ashura pressed a button on the staff, reducing it to a small metal cylinder. "I was getting ready to work out," he said, trying not to alarm the officer and at the same time sound convincing.

The officer nodded, not looking entirely convinced. "May I come in?" she asked.

Ashura nodded, moving slightly away from the door to allow her in. She moved her left arm in front of her, allowing Ashura to briefly notice a handheld metal device, a sort of electronic clipboard. He allowed the door to shut, then locked it. He had a bad feeling about this.

He quickly turned to face her, finding her already facing him, nervously tapping the edge of the device. "Look, let's just cut to the chase. Why have you come down here? The Captain didn't send you, did he?"

She sighed nervously, then replied, "No, he doesn't even know I came here."

She handed Ashura the device, giving him a chance to study it. He stared at it, his eyes widening in disbelief as he studied the text that covered the surface. He began to grit his teeth, his mind racing to determine what could be done, if there was anything.

It was the contents of the last three messages between Sonic and himself.

"Under normal circumstances, I am required to turn this information over to him. I doubt he'll be very pleased."


End file.
